University  of  California  •  Berkeley 
Gift  of 

Miss  Helen  Pardee 


LIFE 


AMONG  THE  APACHES 


BY 


JOH¥   C.    CREMO^Y, 

INTERPRETER    TO    THE    U.    S.    BOUNDARY    COMMISSION,    UNDER    THE    HON.    JOHN    R. 

BARTLETT,  IN   1849,   '50  AND  '51,  AND   LATE  MAJOR  OF   CALIFORNIA 

VOLUNTEER  CAVALRY,  OPERATING  IN  ARIZONA,  NEW 

MEXICO,  TEXAS  AND  WESTERN  ARKANSAS. 


SAN    FRANCISCO: 

A.  ROMAN  &  COMPANY,   PUBLISHERS. 

NEW  YOEK:   27  HOWAED  STEEET. 

1868. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1868,  by 
JOHN  H.  CARMANY  &  CO., 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  District 
of  California. 


Printed  at  the 

COMMEKCIAL  HERAIJ)  OFFICE, 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 


TO  THE  PIONEER  AND  LIBERAL  PUBLISHER, 


THE     ZEALOUS    AND    ENTERPRISING     FRIEND     OF    LITERATURE    ON 
THE    PACIFIC    COAST,    THIS    UNPRETENDING    VOLUME    IS 

RESPECTFULLY   DEDICATED   AS   A  TRIBUTE 
OF  THE  AUTHOR'S  ESTEEM. 


CONTENTS  OF  THE  VOLUME. 


CHAPTEE  I. 

Comanclie  Eaid.  —  Detailed  to  send  them  away.  —  Interview  with  Janamata. — 
Description  of  the  Chief pp.  13-16 

CHAPTEE  II. 

March  from  Texas  to  El  Paso. —The  Lipans.  — Their  Personal  Appearance.— 
Sait-jah  and  the  Picture 17-22 

CHAPTEE  III. 

To  the  Copper  Mines.  —  Encounter  with  Cuchillo  Negro.  —  Fearful  Massacre  of 
Apaches.  —  Their  Terrible  Revenge.  —  Apache  Method  of  Hunting  Ducka 
and  Geese.  —  Apaches  Hunting  Antelopes.  —  Mangas  Colorado.  —  My 
Camp 23-34 

CHAPTEE  IV. 

Journey  to  Sonora.  —  Adventure  with  Apaches.  —  Fronteras.  —  Mexican  Dread  of 
Indians. —  Gen.  Carasco. — Janos. —  Mexican  Policy  toward  the  Apaches. — 
Carasco's  Eaid.  —  Gandara,  Monteverde  and  Urea.  — Death  of  Carasco.  — 
Arispe. — Apache  Prisoners. —  Mexican  Guard. —  Apaches  Attacking  a  Mexi 
can  Train.  —  Curious  Style  of  Pursuit.  —  Return  to  the  Copper  Mines.  — 
Americans  Attacked  by  Apaches. — Traits  of  Apache  Character. — Crafti. 
ness " 35-46 

CHAPTEE  V. 

Mangas  Colorado.  —  His  Personal  Appearance,  Power,  and  Influence.  —  Indian 
Forces  at  the  Copper  Mines. — The  Navajoes. — Their  Appearance  and  Sub 
sequent  Acts.— Their  Schemes  Foiled.— Mangas  in  Full  Uniform.— Strange 


6  CONTENTS. 

Mode  of  Attire.— Inez  Gonzales.— Her  Rescue.— New  Mexican  Traders.— 
Summary  Proceedings. — Story  of  Inez. — March  into  Sonora. — Santa  Cruz. — 
Restoration  of  Inez. — Her  subsequent  History. — Tanori pp.  47-58 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Rescue  of  Two  Mexican  Boys. — War  Talk. — Exciting  Scene. — Peaceful  Termina 
tion.— Large  Indian  Forces.  —  An  Apache  killed  by  a  Mexican.  —  Intense 
Excitement.  —  Fearless  Conduct  of  Col.  Craig.  —  The  Apaches  Pacified.  — 
Another  War  Talk.  —  Amicable  Result.  —  Necessity  of  Firmness  and  Pre 
caution  '. 59-72 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Jornada  del  Muerto.  —  Socorro.  —  Lieut.  Campbell.  —  Terrific  Ride  for  Life.  — 
Splendid  Horse.  —  Narrow  Escape.  —  Caring  for  a  Horse.  —  Apache  Visits. 
—  Treacherous  Nature 73-79 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Gold  Mines.— Apache  Raid.— Our  Mules  Stolen.— Unsuccessful  Scout.— Another 
Apache  Raid.— Fight  with  Delgadito's  Band.— Recovery  of  Stolen  Cattle.— 
Delgadito  Wounded.  — His  Death.  —  Traits  of  Apache  Character.  —  Their 
Spartan  Views.  —  Apache  Idea  of  American  Wisdom.  —  Adventure  of  Mr. 
Diaz  with  Cuchillo  Negro. — Abandon  the  Copper  Mines. — Sonora. — Santa 
Cruz.  — Bacuachi.  —  Arispe.  —  Ures.  —  Hermosillo. —  Guaymas. —  Return. — 
Santa  Rita. — The  Pimos  and  Maricopas. — Their  Tradition. — Their  Personal 
Appearance. — Strange  Relations  Between  the  Two  Tribes. — Lucubrations 
on  Indian  Character.— Our  Indian  Policy  Criticised 80-97 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Pimo  Superstition. — Eclipse  of  the  Moon.  —  Terrible  Excitement. —  Dangerous 
Predicament.— Lieut.  Whipple's  Coolness.  —  Satisfactory  Result.— Pimos 
and  Maricopas.— Their  Traditions.— Religions  and  Modes  of  Interment.— 
Dr.  David  Wooster.— Arrival  of  Gen.  Conde.— Death  of  Antonio.— Horrible 
and  Revolting  Ceremonies.— The  Gila  Bend.— Down  the  Gila.— The  Mar> 
copa  Refugees.— Important  News.— The  Colorado  River.— John  Gallantin 
and  his  Party 08-117 

CHAPTER  X. 

Fort  Yuma.— The  Yuma  Indians.— Desperate  Situation.— Dr.  Webb's  Bluntness. 


CONTENTS.  7 

— Caballo  en  Pelo. — Method  of  Camping. — Yuma  Chiefs  our  Prisoners. — 
The  Launch. — Crossing  the  Colorado. — March  into  the  Desert. — Release  of 
the  Yuma s.— Sandstorm  in  the  Desert.— Final  Escape  from  the  Yumas.— 
Sufferings  on  the  Desert.— Carisso  Creek.— VaUecito.— Hospitality  of  Army 
Officers.— Col.  Heintzleman.— Yumas  Reduced  to  Subjection. .  .pp.  118-128 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Letter  from  Senator  Clemens.— Resign  from  the  Boundary  Commission.— Depar 
ture  of  the  Commission.— New  Expedition.— Ride  up  the  Gila.— Terrible 
Conflict  with  Apaches. — Desperate  Personal  Encounter. —  Defeat  of  the 
Savages.— Return  of  the  Expedition.— Long  for  a  Quiet  Life.— San  Fran 
cisco. — Cogitations  on  Indian  Character. — Advice  Given  and  Disdained. — 
The  Fatal  Results. — Necessity  for  Constant  Caution. — Extent  of  Apache 
Country. — Numerical  Strength  of  the  Apaches. — Female  Warriors. — False 
Impressions  of  Indian  Character 129-143 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Enter  the  Volunteer  Service.— The  Column  from  California.— Antelope  Peak.— 
Visited  by  Yumas.— Making  Metates.— Get  Rid  of  them  by  a  Ruse.— The 
Maricopas  Again. — Carrying  the  Mails. — Small  Force  in  Camp. — Visit  of 
Col.  Rigg. —  The  Maricopas  Recognize  me. —  Their  Gratitude. —  Captain 
Killmoon. —  Another  Remarkable  Lunar  Performance. —  Loring's  Assist 
ance. — Bargaining  for  Chickens. — Magic  Virtues  of  the  Compass. — Effect 
of  the  Burning  Glass 144-154 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Sent  to  the  Front.— Dreadful  Storm  at  the  San  Pedro  River.— Night  Alarm.— 
Apaches  Gathering. — Dragoon  Springs. — Capt.  Thomas  Roberts. — Apache 
Pass. — Bloody  and  Desperate  Fight  with  Apaches. — The  Savages  Whipped. 
—  Remarkable  Infantry  March.  —  Heroism  of  John  Teal.  —  He  wounds 
Mangas  Colorado,  and  whips  off  Fifteen  Apaches. — Gallantry  of  Sergeant 
Mitchell  and  his  Cavalry.  —  Effect  of  Shelling  the  Apaches.— Number  of 
Indians  Killed. — Our  Losses. — Re-enter  the  Pass. — Refused  Permission  to 
Charge. — San  Simon 155-167 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Return  from  the  San  Simon. — Avoid  Apache  Pass. — Reasons  for  so  Doing. — Night 
Marching.  —  Apaches  show  Themselves.  —  Rattlesnakes.  —  Ojo  de  los  Her- 


8  CONTENTS. 

manos.— San  Pedro  Again.— Beturn  through  Apache  Pass.— Meet  thirteen 
Dead  Americans.  —  Mangas  Colorado's  Deceit.  —  How  the  Americans  were 
Killed.— Apache  Cunning  and  Calculation.— Bury  the  Dead.— How  Mangas 
was  Cured  of  his  Wound.  —Death  of  Mangas  Colorado.  —  The  Genius  and 
Abilities  of  Mangas.  —  Apache  Democracy.  —  Extent  of  the  Eavages  of 
Mangas  Colorado PP-  168-178 

CHAPTEK  XV. 

Apache  Signals.— Mode  of  Marching  through  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.— Apache 
Watchfulness  and  Caution.— The  Gila  Country.— Grama  Grass.— The  In- 
formation  Indispensable  for  a  Successful  Campaign  against  Apaches. — 
The  Smoke  Columns.— Pressed  Grass.— Bent  and  Broken  Twigs.— Blazed 
Trees. — Mounted  Parties. — The  Stone  Signals. — Kit  Carson. — Comparison 
between  White  Men's  and  Apache  Philosophy.— The  Present  Condition  of 
Apache  Armament.— Their  Knowledge  of  Colors,  and  the  Use  they  make 
of  It.— TJieir  Hatred  of  all  Other  Eaces.— Proofs  of  their  Good  Breeding.— 
Our  Indian  Policy  Discussed.— Apache  Want  of  Sympathy.— How  they 
Obtain  their  Guns  and  Ammunition. — Extent  of  their  Eavages  in  North 
ern  Mexico. — Monuments  of  Apache  Massacres  in  Arizona. — Mines  of 
Arizona 179-196 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Condition  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. — Active  Campaign. — Californian  Soldiers. 
— Bosque  Eedondo.— More  Intimate  Eelations  with  Apaches.— Site  of  Tort 
Sumner.  —  Scarcity  of  Wood.  —  Climate.  — Arrival  of  Apache  Prisoners  of 
'War.— Dog  Canon.— Apache  Embassy.— Mr.  Labadie.— Placed  in  Charge  of 
the  Apaches.— Form  a  Council.— Hunting  Excursion  with  Apaches.— Their 
Mode  of  Killing  Antelopes.  —  Learn  more  of  Indian  Character.  —  Obtain  a 
Greater  Share  of  their  Confidence 197-205 

CHAPTEK  XVII. 

Satisfaction  of  the  Apaches. — Policy. — Beneficial  Eesults  to  my  Men. — Individual 
Eesponsibility.— Short  Allowance.— The  Apache  Eations  Continued.— Gen. 
Carleton's  Visit.— Bishop  Lamy.  —  Supplies  Eeceived.  —  Apaches  Elect  a 
Governor. — Juan  Cojo. — Commence  Learning  the  Apache  Language. — Com 
pile  a  Vocabulary.— Gradually  gain  Apache  Confidence.— Eenew  Acquaint 
ance  with  Old  Enemies. — Altered  Eelations. — Former  Events  Eecalled. — 
Instruction  thrown  Away.  —Apache  Ideas  of  Warfare.  —  Their  Horror  of 
Work. —Influence  of  their  Women.— Mescal. —Its  Intoxicating  Quali- 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Dangerous  Hunting  at  the  Bosque. — Dr.  McNulty's  Adventure. — Don  Carlos  and 
his  Indians. —  Mr.  Descourtis'  Adventure. —  Nah-kah-yen  and  Nah-tanh. — 
Hunting  a  Lion.  —  The  Indian  and  the  Panther.  —  Combat  Between  a  Bear 
and  a  Lion.— The  Kesult.— Beavers.— Apache  Love  of  Torturing.— Gallant 
Indian.— A  Wounded  Apache  to  be  Dreaded pp.  218-228 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Anecdote  of  Capt.  Bristol.— Surprise  and  Admiration  of  the  Indians.— They  Vote 
Him  a  Great  Medicine.— Wonders  of  the  Microscope.— Their  Modes  of 
Hunting. —  Departure  of  Ojo  Blanco. —  Apache  Dread  of  Disease. —  The 
Influenza. — Apache  Prophet. — His  Dream  and  Interpretation. — My  Coun 
ter  Dream  and  Interpretation.— Useful  Services  of  Dr.  Gwyther.— Faith 
fulness  of  Gian-nah-tah.— Necessity  of  Using  Artifice 229-236 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Apache  Language.— Its  Bemarkable  Regularity  and  Copiousness.— Examples 
Given.— Reflections.— How  Apaches  are  Named.— Apache  Beauties.— Dis 
inclination  to  tell  their  Apache  Names : 237-243 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Chastity  of  Apache  Women.— Wantonness  of  the  Navajoes.— Comparison  Insti 
tuted. — Curious  Customs. — A  Feast  and  Dance. — Ceremonies. — Duration 
of  the  Feast.— Depilorizing  the  Eyes.— Apache  Marriages.— Style  of  Court 
ship.— Coquetry.— Horses  as  Money.— The  Bower  of  Love.— Affected  Bash- ' 
fulness.— Apache  System  of  Polygamy.— Customs  Regulating  Marriage.— 
Nah-tanh's  Views.— Burials.— Funeral  Ceremonies.— Apache  Reserve.— 
Small-Pox.— Capt.  Shirland.— Fort  Davis.— Fight  with  Apaches.— Indians 
Whipped 244-252 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Apaches  as  Warriors.— Fight  with  the  Maricopas.— Fight  with  the  Comanches.— 
Cold  Weather.— Apache  Camp  Attacked  by  Hostile  Navajoes.— Navajoes 
Pursued  and  Destroyed. — Animals  Recovered. — Carillo  and  the  Navajo. — 
McGrew  and  Porter.— Their  Gallantry.— Apache  Ideas  of  Scalping.— Grand 
Apache  Parade. — Strange  Request. — Denied. — Purification  of  Arms. — The 
Prophet  again  Making  Trouble.  —  Apache  Cavalry  Manoeuvres.  —  Reflec 
tions  ...  . .  253-261 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  XXIII. 

Ojo  Blanco  Wounded.— Apache  Doctoring.— Dr.  Gwyther's  Treatment.— Results. 
— Ojo  Blanco  Killed  in  Battle.— Religious  Creed  of  the  Apaches.— Policy  in 
their  Religion.  —  The  Deluge.  —Apaches  Ignorant  of  their  Origin.  —Their 
Ideas  in  Reference  to  Women.  —  Mexican  Women  as  Wives  of  Apaches.  — 
Character  of  their  Children.— Horrible  Spectacle  in  Cooke's  Canon.— A  few 
Suggestions.— Their  Respect  for  Traditions  Upset ,pp.  262-272 

CHAPTER  XXIY. 

Apache  Endurance.— Inroad.— Extensive  Traveling.— Wild  Hosses.— El  Cupido.— 
Passes  in  New  Mexico.  —  Heavy  Snow.  —Cold  Weather.  —  Change  Base.— 
Indians  Break  Cover. — Continued  Snow-storm.  —  Go  in  Pursuit.  —  Rough 
Ride.— Indians  Overtaken  by  Mr.  Labadie.— -Navajoes  Whipped  and  Plun 
der  Recovered.  —  Overtake  and  Protect  Labadie. — Hunt  for  Navajoes. — 
Labadie  Arrives  Safely  at  Fort  Sumner.  —  Conchas  Springs.  —  Intense 
Cold.— Indians'  Indifference  to  Cold.— Apache  Method  of  Running  Sheep.— 
Great  Distances  Accomplished 273-284 

CHAPTEE  XXV. 

Religious  Ceremonies. — Lack  of  Veneration. — Evidences  of  Mineral  Wealth. — An 
Apache  "  Rough."  —  Tats-ah-das-ay-go.  —  Remarkable  Order.  —  Another 
Scout.  —  Apache  "Hide  and  Seek."  —  Prairie  Dogs  and  their  Guests.  — 
Apache  Customs  concerning  Murder. — Sons-in-jah.— His  Career. — His  Re 
citals.  —  Former  Condition  of  the  New  Mexicans.  —  How  the  Difficulties 
Commenced.— Reflections.— Articles  of  Apache  Food.— Native  Potatoes.— 
Apache  Estimate  of  Dead  Women.— Navajo  Dread  of  Corpses 285-297 

CHAPTER  XXYI. 

Apache  Boldness  and  Address.— The  Papagoes.— A  Fine  Herd  Stolen  by  One 
Apache. — An  Officer's  Horse  Stolen. — Soldier  Robbed  of  his  Horse. — Ne" 
cessity  for  Prudence. — Apache  Games. — Sons-in-jah's  Version.  —  Apache 
Ideas  of  Gambling.— Races  at  Fort  Sumner.  —  The  Winners.  —  Manuelito, 
the  Great  Navajo  Warrior 298-309 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Ignorance  of  Indian  Character  Discussed. — Political  Indian  Agencies. — How  the 
Indian  Affairs  should  be  Managed.^Necessity  of  Force.— Absurd  System 
in  Vogue. — Crushing  Out  Advised. — How  the  Apaches  should  be  Fought. — 
Proper  Method  of  Campaigning. — Suggestions. — Culpable  Neglect  of  Con 
gress.— General  Deductions.— Calif ornian  Troops.— Conclusion. ..  310-322 


PREFACE. 


THOSE  who  may  favor  the  succeeding  pages  with  their  perusal, 
must  not  expect  any  attempt  at  fine  writing  or  glowing  description. 
The  author's  intention  is,  to  furnish  a  plain,  unvarnished  tale  of 
actual  occurrences  and  facts  illustrative  of  the  various  tribes  of  In 
dians  occupying  that  vast  region  which  extends  from  the  Colorado 
river  on  the  west,  to  the  settlements  of  Texas  on  the  east,  and  from 
Taos  in  New  Mexico  to  Durango  in  the  Mexican  Republic. 

In  the  front  rank  of  the  tribes,  occupying  the  region  included 
within  the  limits  mentioned,  stands  the  great  Apache  race,  and  next 
are  the  Comanches.  The  former  of  these  will  engage  most  of  the 
author's  attention  for  very  many  and  obvious  reasons.  It  is  be 
lieved  that  the  book  will  contain  a  large  amount  of  valuable  infor 
mation,  to  be  derived  from  no  other  source  extant,  and  it  will  be  the 
author's  endeavor  to  place  it  before  his  readers  in  a  manner  which 
will  engage  their  attention.  Nothing  not  strictly  true  will  be  admit 
ted  into  its  pages,  and  if  some  of  the  incidents  narrated  be  found 
of  a  thrilling  character,  the  reader  will  experience  satisfaction  in 
knowing  that  they  are  not  the  results  of  imaginative  picturing. 
Whenever  a  personal  adventure  is  narrated,  it  will  be  found  to  illus 
trate  some  particular  phase  of  character  ;  none  are  recounted  which 
do  not  convey  information. 

Our  Government  has  expended  millions  of  dollars,  in  driblets, 
since  the  acquisition  of  California,  in  efforts  to  reduce  the  Apaches 


12  PREFACE. 

and  Navajoes,  who  occupy  that  extensive  belt  of  country  which  forms 
the  highway  for  overland  migration  from  the  East  to  the  West;  but 
we  are  as  far  from'success  to-day  as  we  were  twenty  years  ago.  The 
reason  is  obvious.  We  have  never  striven  to  make  ourselves  intel 
ligently  acquainted  with  those  tribes.  Nearly  all  that  relates  to 
them  is  quite  as  uncertain  and  indefinite  to  our  comprehension  as 
that  which  obtains  in  the  center  of  Africa.  Those  who  were  the 
best  informed  on  the  matter,  and  had  given  it  the  closest  attention, 
were,  at  the  same  time — most  unfortunately — the  least  capable  of 
imparting  their  information  ;  while  those  who  were  almost  ignorant 
of  the  subject  have  been  the  most  forward  to  give  the  results  of 
their  fragmentary  gleanings.  If  this  volume  shall  have  the  effect  of 
bettering  our  present  deplorable  Indian  policy,  by  letting  in  some 
light,  it  will  accomplish  the  author's  object. 
SAN  FBANCTSCO,  August,  1868.  J.  C.  C. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Comanche  Kaid.  —  Detailed  to  send  them  away.  —  Interview  with  Janamata.— 
Description  of  the  Chief. 

MY  first  business  acquaintance  with  "Lo"  occurred 
in  the  year  1847.  A  band  of  about  one  hundred  Co 
manche  warriors,  led  by  a  chief  named  Janamata.  or  the 
"Ked  Buffalo,"  taking  advantage  of  the  subdued  and 
defenceless  condition  of  the  Mexicans,  crossed  the  Kio 
Grande,  about  seventy  miles  below  Old  Keynosa,  and 
commenced  a  series  of  depredations.  Information  was 
immediately  given  to  the  American  officer  commanding 
at  that  post,  and  the  writer  was  detailed,  with  a  force  of 
fifty  men,  to  drive  off  the  invaders,  with  orders  not  to 
engage  in  hostilities,  unless  the  Indians  proved  refrac 
tory  and  deaf  to  all  other  appeals. 

After  marching  fifty  miles,  which  was  accomplished  in 
two  days,  we  arrived  at  the  scene  of  operations,  meeting 
the  Comanches  on  the  highway.  Our  force  was  imme 
diately  disposed  to  the  best  advantage,  and  placing  a 
white  handkerchief  on  the  point  of  my  sabre,  I  advanced 
alone  toward  the  chief,  who,  leaving  his  warriors,  rode 
forward  to  meet  me.  He  spoke  Spanish  fluently,  having 
evidently  acquired  it  in  his  many  marauding  excursions 
into  Mexico.  Having  met,  I  offered  him  a  cigarito,  which 
was  accepted  with  Indian  stoicism.  We  smoked  in  per 
fect  silence  for  half  a  minute,  when  the  cigaritos  having 
been  consumed  the  following  dialogue  took  place : 

Officer.— "I  am  sent  to  tell  you,  that  you  must  recross 
2 


14  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

the  Bio  Grande  with  your  warriors,  and  come  here  no 
more  to  molest  these  people  while  we  remain  in  the 
country." 

Indian. — "I  hear  your  words.  They  are  not  pleasant. 
These  Mexicans  are  our  natural  enemies;  we  have  warred 
against  them  for  many  years.  They  are  also  your  ene 
mies.  You  are  killing  them  in  their  own  country,  the 
same  as  I  am.  The  Comanches  are  friends  to  the  Amer 
icans.  Why  do  you  prevent  your  friends  from  hunting 
your  enemies  and  theirs  ?" 

Officer. — "  Red  man,  you  mistake.  These  people  were 
our  enemies,  but  they  have  yielded,  and  all  who  have  sub 
mitted  are  under  our  protection.  "We  have  ceased  from 
doing  them  harm,  and  if  we  permit  you  to  injure  them 
after  we  have  disarmed  them,  it  would  be  the  same  as  if 
we  did  so  ourselves." 

Indian. — ' '  But  your  revenge  is  for  yourselves.  It  does 
not  satisfy  us  for  the  blood  of  Comanches  slain  by  Mexi 
cans.  You  made  war  upon  them  without  our  consent  or 
knowledge.  We  do  the  same.  A  wise  warrior  takes 
advantage  of  his  enemy's  weakness.  It  is  now  our  op 
portunity." 

Officer. — "These  people  are  our  captives,  and  cannot 
continue  to  be  your  enemies  while  in  that  condition. 
Suppose  you  had  a  dozen  Apache  captives,  would  you 
permit  the  Kaddos  to  come  into  your  camp  and  kill  them; 
take  their  property  and  go  off  without  resistance  ?" 

Indian. — "White  man,  your  tongue  is  double,  like  a 
woman's;  but  the  Comanche  does  not  feel  to  war  against 
his  American  brothers.  I  and  my  people  will  recross  the 
Bio  Grande,  but  will  not  promise  never  to  come  back. 
Good-by." 

Our  colloquy  ended — we  smoked  another  cigarito;  he 
waved  his  hand  to  his  warriors,  and  without  another  word 


LIFE    AMOXG    THE    APACHES.  15 

directed  his  course  to  the  river,  which  was  soon  waded, 
and  Janamata,  Avith  his  followers,  stood  on  American 
soil.  This  little  interview  imparted  the  knowledge  that 
the  American  savages  are  rather  keen  logicians,  from  their 
own  uncivilized  stand-point,  as  they  are  incapable  of  ap 
preciating  the  moral  and  religious  sensibilities  of  enlight 
ened  races. 

Janamata  was  a  good  type  of  his  tribe,  in  point  of 
physical  development.  He  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches 
in  height,  with  well  proportioned  shoulders,  very  deep 
chest,  and  long,  thin,  but  muscular  arms.  His  forehead, 
was  very  broad  and  moderately  high,  his  mouth  enor 
mous,  and  garnished  with  strong  white  teeth.  His  nose 
was  of  the  Roman  order,  broad  and  with  much  expanded 
nostrils,  which  appeared  to  pulsate  with  every  emotion; 
but  his  countenance  was  rigid  and  immovable  as  bronze. 
His  arms  consisted  of  a  bow  and  quiver  full  of  arrows,  a 
long  lance,  a  long  sharp  knife,  worn  in  the  top  of  his 
moccasin  boot,  and  a  very  good  Colt's  revolver.  A  strong 
shield  of  triple  buffalo  bide,  ornamented  with  brass  studs, 
hung  from  his  saddle  bow,  and  his  dress  was  composed 
of  buckskin  and  buffalo  hide  well  tanned  and  flexible, 
but  wholly  free  from  ornament.  I  afterwards  learned 
from  a  Texas  Banger  that  he  was  called  Janamata,  or  the 
"  Red  Buffalo,"  from  a  desperate  encounter  he  once  had 
with  one  of  those  animals,  which  had  ripped  up  his  horse, 
and  attacked  him  on  foot.  In  this  encounter  Janamata  had 
only  his  knife  to  depend  on,  as  he  had  lost  lance  and  bow 
when  unhorsed.  It  is  related  that  as  the  buffalo  charged 
upon  him,  he  sprang  over  the  animal's  lowered  front,  and 
landing  on  his  back,  plunged  his  knife  several  times  into 
its  body;  then,  as  suddenly  jumping  off  behind,  he  seized 
it  by  the  tail  and  with  one  cut  severed'  the  ham-string. 
These  details  made  an  impression  upon  me  at  the  time 
which  has  never  been  effaced  or  weakened. 


16  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

Years  passed  before  another  opportunity  offered  to  ex 
tend  my  acquaintance  with  Indians,  and  then  in  a  totally 
different  sphere  and  under  different  circumstances,  and 
with  many  different  tribes.  The  lapse  of  time,  however, 
gave  opportunity  for  reflection,  and  I  realized  the  fact 
that  my  former  rude  impressions,  founded  upon  such 
authorities  as  Catlin,  Cooper,  and  others,  must  be  con 
siderably  modified;  and  I  resolved  that,  should  occasion 
ever  offer,  I  would  devote  attention  and  time  to  the  ob 
servation  of  Indian  character  as  it  is,  and  not  as  I  had 
believed  it  to  be  from  writers  on  the  subject. 


CHAPTER   II. 

March  from  Texas  to  El  Paso. —The  Lipans.  — Their  Personal  Appearance.— 
Sait-jah  and  the  Picture. 

IN  the  year  1849,  I  was  prevailed  upon  by  Dr.  Thomas 
H.  Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  So 
ciety,  to  forego  my  position  on  the  Boston  Herald,  and 
accept  an  appointment  on  the  United  States  Boundary 
Commission,  then  being  re-organized  under  the  Hon. 
John  K.  Bartlett.  Mr.  Bartlett  selected  some  thirty  of 
the  Commission,  and  determined  to  proceed  by  way  of 
the  Northern  Koute,  which,  up  to  that  period,  had  been 
traveled  only  three  times,  and  was,  consequently,  but 
little  known.  The  most  valuable  information  relative  to 
the  route  was  received  from  Judge  Antrim  —  a  brave, 
courteous  and  handsome  gentleman.  In  accordance  with 
the  directions  pricked  out  on  Mr.  Bartlett's  traveling 
chart  by  Judge  Ankrim,  one  portion  of  the  Commission 
directed  their  way,  leaving  the  great  body,  under  Col. 
John  McClellan,  U.  S.  Topographical  Engineers,  to  come 
on  by  what  is  known  as  the  Southern  Eoute,  a  well  beaten 
and  frequently  used  road.  Many  portions  of  the  way 
selected  by  Mr.  Bartlett  had  never  before  been  gone  over 
by  white  men.  There  was  no  trail  to  direct  our  course, 
nor  did  we  possess  any  satisfactory  knowledge  of  its  abil 
ity  to  afford  wood,  water  and  grass.  The  maps,  however, 
showed  that  it  was  crossed  by  certain  streams  at  stated 
distances,  and  the  venture  was  boldly  undertaken. 

On  arriving  within  a  short  distance  of  the  South  Con- 


18  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

clio  river,  we  camped  on  a  small  stream  named  the  Ante 
lope  creek,  situated  in  the  Lipan  country.  Early  next 
morning,  as  the  party  were  about  to  resume  the  march, 
an  Indian  was  seen  advancing  at  full  speed.  A  halt  was 
ordered,  and  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  among  us  asking, 
in  Spanish,  for  the  commander.  I  at  once  took  him  to 
Mr.  Bartlett,  and,  on  approaching  the  Commissioner,  our 
red  visitant  commenced  fumbling  among  his  clothes, 
from  which  he  extracted  a  dirty  piece  of  handkerchief, 
which,  being  unrolled,  disclosed  another  dirty  rag,  and 
the  unwrapping  continued  until  five  pieces  of  cotton 
fragments  had  been  unrolled,  displaying  a  handsome 
leopard  skin  pouch,  in  which  were  a  number  of  recom 
mendations,  signed  by  well-known  Americans,  and  set 
ting  forth  that  the  bearer,  Chipota,  a  Lipan  chief,  had,  a 
short  time  before,  celebrated  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the 
"United  States,  and  was  entitled  to  the  consideration  and 
kindness  of  all  American  travelers  over  those  wastes. 
During  the  interview,  I  attentively  watched  the  Indian, 
who  gave  slight  indications  of  uneasiness  as  to  the  man 
ner  in  which  his  overtures  would  be  received;  but  these 
were  soon  dissipated  by  the  frank  and  amicable  deport 
ment  of  Mr.  Bartlett,  who  invited  his  visitor  to  take  a 
seat  in  his  carriage  and  proceed  with  him  to  the  next 
camp,  which  was  about  twelve  miles  further.  Chipota 
appeared  to  be  about  sixty  years  of  age.  He  was  short, 
stout  and  sinewy,  with  an  uncommonly  high  and  expan 
sive  forehead,  and  so  singularly  like  the  celebrated  Lewis 
Cass  in  appearance,  that  the  fact  was  immediately  re 
marked  by  all  the  party  who  had  ever  seen  Mr.  Cass  or 
his  portrait. 

The  Commissioner  traveled  in  a  close  carriage,  drawn 
by  four  fleet  and  powerful  mules.  His  compagnon  de  voy 
age  was  invariably  Dr.  Webb,  who  could  never  be  induced 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  19 

to  mount  a  horse.  The  inside  of  the  carriage  was  well 
supplied  with  Colt's  and  Sharp's  rifles,  Colt's  pistols,  a 
double-barreled  shot  gun,  lots  of  ammunition,  a  spy 
glass,  and  a  number  of  small  but  useful  tools.  Upon 
entering  this  traveling  arsenal,  old  Chipota  looked  around 
him  with  ill-concealed  astonishment,  which  was  greatly 
heightened  by  Mr.  Bartlett  preparing  the  spy-glass,  and 
permitting  him  to  take  a  good  look  through  it  at  a  dis 
tant  object.  The  Indian  could  hardly  credit  that  the 
thing  he  saw  so  distinctly  through  the  glass  was  the 
same  object  he  beheld  so  dimly  with  his  naked  eye.  Not 
until  we  arrived  in  camp,  however,  were  his  senses 
brought  to  the  full  stand-poinf  of  admiration  by  the 
rapid  discharges  and  terrific  effects  of  the  fire  from  our 
repeating  rifles  and  pistols.  Looking  around  with  un- 
dissembled  amazement,  he  said  in  his  own  language,  as 
if  soliloquizing:  " Inday  pindah  lickoyee  schlango  pooha- 
cante."  It  was  not  until  years  had  passed  that  I  became 
aware  of  the  meaning  of  these  words:  but  I  noted  them 
at  the  time  by  asking  him  to  repeat  them,  and  took  a 
memorandum  of  their  sounds.  Since  then  I  have  discov 
ered  that  they  mean — ' '  These  people  of  the  white  eyes 
are  wonderful  medicine  men." 

About  two  hours  after  camping,  we  were  joined  by 
four  more  Lipans,  the  leader  being  named  Chiquito,  a 
Spanish  term,  signifying  "the  little  one."  He  was  tall, 
thin,  sinewy,  and  had  the  appearance  of  having  been 
possessed  of  more  than  ordinary  powers  of  endurance. 
The  likeness  of  this  chief  to  General  Jackson  was  quite 
as  remarkable  and  striking  as  that  of  Chipota  to  General 
Cass,  and  was  a  general  subject  of  remark.  The  most 
prominent  member  of  Chiquito's  escort  was  a  tall,  strong, 
well-made  and  handsome  young  Lipan  dandy,  who  re 
joiced  in  the  name  of  Sait-jah,  disdaining  to  be  known 


20  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

by  any  Spanish  term.  This  fellow  evidently  believed 
himself  of  some  consequence,  and  strutted  about  with  a 
very  decided  aristocratic  bearing.  After  a  short  time 
passed  in  displaying  his  colossal  proportions,  his  splen 
did  leopard  skin  saddle,  quiver,  leggins,  etc.,  Chipota 
quietly  beckoned  to  him  and  the  others,  and,  I  suppose, 
gave  them  a  short  account  of  the  wonders  he  had  beheld. 
His  warnings  were  received  with  trust  by  all  but  Sait- 
jah,  who,  like  most  inexperienced  and  flattered  young 
men,  savage  or  civilized,  preferred  to  rely  on  his  own 
experiences.  Our  party  being  small,  and  offering  many 
temptations,  I  kept  a  strict  but  unobserved  watch  over 
the  Indians,  and  suspected  the  tenor  of  Chipota's  dis 
course,  from  his  gesticulations.  In  a  few  minutes  Sait- 
jah  came  toward  me  in  a  swaggering  manner,  and  said, 
in  broken  Spanish:  "  Our  chief  says  you  great  medicine; 
he  says  your  pistol  fires  six  times  without  reloading;  he 
says  you  bring  the  trees  which  are  afar  off  close  to  the 
eye,  so  you  can  count  the  leaves;  he  says  your  guns  reach 
a  great  way,  and  never  miss;  he  says  a  great  many  other 
wonderful  things,  which  I  cannot  believe.  You  have 
bewitched  him."  Drawing  a  six-shooter  from  my  belt,  I 
pointed  out  a  tree  about  seventy-five  yards  distant,  and 
commenced  firing  rapidly.  Each  shot  struck  the  tree, 
and  blazed  off  large  fragments  of  the  bark.  Sait-jah  was 
astonished  at  the  power  of  the  weapon,  and  made  no  at 
tempt  to  conceal  his  surprise;  but  his  admiration  broke 
out  into  emphatic  expression  when  he  witnessed  the  pre 
cision  and  reach  of  our  Sharp's  rifles,  and  the  rapidity 
with  which  they  could  be  loaded  and  fired.  His  pride 
had  evidently  received  a  heavy  fall,  and  his  lofty  bearing 
was  toned  down  to  the  level  of  his  white  visitors. 

In  my  possession  was  the  miniature  of  a  young  lady, 
whose  many  graces  of  person,  cultivated  mind  and  amia- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  21 

ble  disposition,  rendered  her  one  of  the  most  lovable  of 
Boston's  fairest  daughters.  Sait-jah  happened  to  see 
this  picture,  and  asked  permission  to  take  a  good  look  at 
the  pleasant  features.  The  miniature  was  placed  in  his 
hand,  and  his  eyes  seemed  to  devour  its  expressive  linea 
ments.  Throughout  the  remainder  of  that  day  this  In 
dian  bored  me  with  frequent  requests  for  another  look, 
and  the  next  morning,  so  soon  as  the  camp  was  astir,  he 
offered  me  his  bow,  arrows  and  splendid  leopard  skin  for 
the  picture.  These  offers  being  refused,  he  then  added 
his  horse,  and  whatever  other  property  he  might  have, 
for  its  possession;  but,  finding  me  deaf  to  his  entreaties, 
he  took  one  long,  last  look,  vaulted  on  his  horse,  set  off 
at  full  speed  and  rapidly  disappeared  in  the  distance. 

The  Lipans  are  a  numerous  and  warlike  tribe,  roaming 
over  a  vast  extent  of  country,  and  perpetually  at  war 
with  the  Comanches,  Kaddos,  and  other  tribes  of  West 
ern  Texas.  Since  acquiring  the  Apache  language,  I  have 
discovered  that  they  are  a  branch  of  that  great  tribe  — 
speaking  identically  the  same  language,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  terms  and  names  of  things  existing  in 
their  region  and  not  generally  known  to  those  branches 
which  inhabit  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  The  Mescalero 
Apaches,  in  their  search  for  buffaloes,  frequently  meet  the 
Lipans,  and  always  on  the  best  of  terms.  No  conflicts 
are  known  to  have  ever  occurred  between  them;  but  they 
act  in  concert  against  the  Comanches,  and  all  other 
tribes.  All  the  remarks  on  the  Apache  race,  which  will 
be  found  in  the  succeeding  pages  of  this  work,  apply 
with  equal  force  to  the  Lipans,  with  the  exception  of 
their  tribal  organization,  the  Lipans  having  regular 
chiefs,  whom  they  obey  on  all  occasions,  and  whose  acts 
are  final;  while  the  Apaches  are  pure  democrats,  each 
warrior  being'  his  own  master,  and  submitting  only  to 


22  LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

the  temporary  control  of  a  chief  elected  for  the  occasion. 
As  no  other  Indians  were  encountered  until  after  our 
arrival  at  Paso  del  Norte,  the  remainder  of  our  journey 
with  its  many  incidents,  sufferings  and  dangers,  will  not 
be  expatiated  upon  in  this  work,  which  is  solely  dedi 
cated  to  descriptions  of  Indian  life. 


CHAPTER    III. 

To  the  Copper  Mines.  —  Encounter  with  Cuchillo  Negro.  —  Fearful  Massacre  of 
Apaches.  —  Their  Terrible  Revenge.  —  Apache  Method  of  Hunting  Ducks 
and  Geese.  —  Apaches  Hunting  Antelopes. — Mangas  Colorado. — My  Camp. 

IN  the  latter  part  of  January,  1850,  Mr.  Bartlett  took 
advantage  of  the  march  of  Col.  Craig,  commanding  the 
military  escort  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  to  order 
Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  Thurber  and  myself  to  the  Copper  Mines 
of  Santa  Rita,  as  Col.  Craig  had  determined  to  make 
that  place  his  head-quarters  until  the  extended  opera 
tions  of  the  Commission  should  demand  a  more  advanced 
post.  Dr.  Webb,  Secretary  of  the  Commission,  and  Mr. 
Thurber,  Botanist,  rode  in  Mr.  Bartlett's  carriage,  which 
he  had  loaned  them  for  the  trip,  but  I  preferred  to  take 
the  saddle,  being  mounted  on  an  uncommonly  fine  horse 
I  had  bought  from  Capt.  A.  Buford,  First  United  States 
Dragoons.  In  order  not  to  be  distressed  by  the  slow, 
painful  and  tiresome  marches  of  the  infantry,  Dr.  Webb 
invariably  ordered  Wells,  the  carriage  driver,  to  hurry 
forward  to  the  next  camping  ground,  and  we  generally 
arrived  three  or  four  hours  in  advance  of  the  troops,  my 
horse  keeping  up  with  the  carriage,  for  I  would  not  leave 
my  party  in  so  dangerous  an  Indian  country  as  the  one 
we  were  then  penetrating.  Sometimes,  when  the  road 
was  rough  and  difficult  for  the  carriage,  I  was  accus 
tomed  to  ride  ahead  in  search  of  game,  being  always 
armed  to  the  teeth  with  two  belt  and  two  holster  six- 
shooters,  a  Sharp's  carbine  and  a  large  bowie  knife.  On 


24  LIFE    AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

the  fourth  day  of  our  march,  I  advanced  about  three 
miles  ahead  of  the  carriage,  which  was  detained  in  mak 
ing  the  passage  through  Cooke's  canon,  a  rough,  rocky 
and  very  dangerous  defile,  about  forty  miles  east  of  the 
Mimbres  river,  and  having  observed  some  antelope  tracks, 
looked  around  in  hope  of  seeing  the  animals,  when  I 
perceived  myself  surrounded  by  a  band  of  about  twenty- 
five  Indians,  who  advanced  upon  me  from,  all  sides,  led 
by  a  savage  who  rode  several  yards  ahead  of  all  others. 
At  that  time  I  could  have  broken  through  the  circle  and 
rejoined  my  party  with  but  little  risk,  as  my  horse  was 
infinitely  superior  in  strength  and  speed  to  their  ponies, 
but  as  I  felt  convinced  that  the  carriage  would  heave  in 
sight  within  a  short  time,  my  resolution  was  immediately 
taken  to  adopt  another  policy.  By  this  time  their  leader 
was  from  twenty-five  to  thirty  yards  in  advance  of  his 
followers,  and  about  the  same  distance  from  me,  perceiv 
ing  which  I  drewr  a  heavy  holster  pistol  with  my  right 
hand  and  putting  spurs  to  my  horse,  met  him  in  a  bound 
or  two,  when  I  addressed  him  to  the  following  effect,  in 
Spanish  : 

1 '  Keep  off  or  I  will  shoot  you." 

To  this  he  replied:  "Who  are  you,  and  whence  do  you 
come  ?" 

Observing  that  his  warriors  were  closing  upon  me,  I 
said:  "See  here,  Indian,  you  have  plenty  of  warriors 
against  one  man,  but  I  have  got  you;  your  people  may 
kill  me,  but  I  will  kill  you,  so  tell  them  to  hold  back  at 
once." 

Involuntarily  the  Apache  waved  his  hand,  and  his  war 
riors  halted  about  forty  yards  off.  Not  liking  so  short  a 
distance,  I  again  urged  the  chief  to  let  his  warriors  fall 
back  still  further,  at  the  same  time  giving  a  significant 
shake  of  my  pistol.  This,  too,  was  done,  and  the  Apaches 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  25 

increased  their  distance  to  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards.  The  chief,  whom  I  afterwards  found  to  be  Cu- 
chillo  Negro,  or  the  "Black  Knife/'  then  endeavored  to 
gain  my  left  side,  but  I  foiled  his  attempt  by  keeping 
my  horse's  head  in  his  direction  wherever  he  moved. 
He  then  said,  "G-ood-by,"  and  started  to  rejoin  his 
comrades,  but  I  again  brought  him  to  a  sense  of  his  po 
sition,  by  telling  him  I  would  not  permit  it,  and  he  must 
stay  with  me  until  my  friends  came  up.  This  excited 
considerable  surprise,  for  he  evidently  labored  under  the 
idea  that  I  was  alone,  or  nearly  so.  The  following  dia 
logue  then  took  place : 

Cuchillo  Negro. — "  What  do  you  want  in  my  country?" 

American. — "I  came  here  because  my  chief  has  sent 
me.  He  is  coming  soon  with  a  large  force,  and  will  pass 
through  this  country,  but  does  not  intend  to  remain  or 
do  any  harm  to  his  Apache  brethren.  We  come  in 
peace,  and  will  always  act  peaceably,  unless  you  compel 
us  to  adopt  other  measures;  if  you  do,  the  consequences 
will  do  you  great  harm." 

Cuchillo  Negro. — "I  do  not  believe  your  words.  You 
are  alone.  My  people  have  been  on  the  watch,  and 
have  seen  no  forces  coming  this  way.  If  any  such  had 
been  on  the  road,  we  would  have  known  it.  You  are  in 
my  power.  What  more  have  you  to  say  ?" 

American. — "Indian,  you  are  foolish.  Long  security 
has  made  you  careless.  A  company  of  soldiers  is  close 
behind  me;  but  your  young  men  have  been  asleep.  The 
squaws  have  retained  them  in  camp,  when  they  should 
have  been  on  the  lookout.  I  am  not  in  your  power,  but 
you,  personally,  are  in  mine.  Your  people  can  kill  me, 
but  not  until  I  have  put  a  ball  through  your  body.  Any 
signal  you  may  make  to  them,  or  any  forward  movement 
on  their  part,  will  also  be  signal  for  your  death.  If  you 


26  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

do  not  believe  me,  wait  a  few  moments,  and  you  will  see 
my  friends  come  round  the  point  of  yonder  hill.  They 
are  many,  and  intend  to  remain  several  moons  in  your 
country.  If  you  treat  them  well  you  will  grow  rich  and 
get  many  presents,  but  if  you  treat  them  badly  they  will 
search  you  out  among  the  rocks  and  hills  of  your  coun 
try,  will  take  possession  of  your  watering  places,  will 
destroy  your  plantations  and  kill  your  warriors.  Now 
choose." 

Cuchillo  Negro. — "For  many  years  no  white  man  has 
penetrated  these  regions,  and  we  do  not  permit  people 
to  enter  our  country  without  knowing  their  purpose.  If 
you  had  friends,  as  you  say,  you  would  not  have  left 
them  and  come  on  alone,  for  that  is  foolish.  My  young 
men  have  not  been  led  away  by  the  squaws,  for  there  are 
none  within  two  sun's  march,  and  if  you  had  a  large 
party  with  you,  they  would  have  known  it  and  given  me 
notice.  You  have  many  guns,  but  I  have  many  men, 
and  you  cannot  escape  if  I  give  the  signal." 

American. — "Indian,  I  don't  think  you  will  give  that 
signal  so  long  as  you  and  I  are  so  close  together.  Wait 
a  few  moments,  and  see  whether  I  tell  the  truth." 

This  proposition  was  finally  agreed  to  by  him,  and  we 
sat  on  our  horses  waiting  the  approach  of  the  carriage. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  say  what  my  feelings  were  during 
the  next  quarter  of  an  hour,  nor  to  explain  the  manoeuvres 
each  adopted  to  get  or  keep  the  advantage  of  his  enemy. 
I  feel  incapable  of  doing  justice  to  the  occasion.  At  the 
expiration  of  the  time  mentioned,  the  carriage  hove  in 
sight,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  rounding  the  point 
of  the  mountain,  and  it  had  been  detained  so  much  dur 
ing  the  march  through  the  rocky  and  terrible  defile  that 
the  infantry  had  come  up  with  it  and  presented  a  for 
midable  array  of  glittering  tubes  immediately  in  its  rear. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  27 

At  this  unexpected  sight,  Cuchillo  Negro  gazed  for  a 
moment  like  one  in  a  dream,  but  quickly  collecting  him 
self,  he  advanced  directly  toward  me,  extending  his  right 
hand  and  saying,  "  Jeunie,  jeunie/"  which  means  friendly, 
amicable,  good.  I  refused  to  take  his  hand  lest  he  might 
suddenly  jerk  me  off  my  horse  and  stab  me  while  falling, 
but  contented  myself  by  saying,  " Estamos  amigos" — we 
are  friends.  He  then  turned  quickly  and  rode  off  at  full 
speed,  attended  by  his  warriors.  They  disappeared  in 
another  rocky  canon,  about  four  hundred  yards  distant. 
It  was  subsequently  my  fate  to  meet  this  savage  sev 
eral  other  times,  and  I  am  satisfied  that  the  remembrance 
of  our  interview  on  the  occasion  above  narrated,  did 
me  no  harm  either  with  him  or  the  balance  of  his  tribe. 

After  leaving  Dona  Ana,  our  way  led  across  the  lower 
portion  of  the  Jornada  del  Muerto  until  we  arrived  at 
what  is  known  as  the  San  Diego  crossing  of  the  Bio 
Grande,  a  mile  or  two  below  where  Fort  Thorne  was 
subsequently  built.  As  the  Jornada  del  Muerto  was  the 
scene  of  another  incident,  its  description  is  postponed 
for  the  present.  The  Rio  Grande  was  crossed  without 
much  difficulty,  and  our  camp  formed  near  a  large  lagoon 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  river.  This  lagoon  was  in 
fested  by  wild  ducks  and  brant,  and  the  Apaches  took 
great  numbers  of  them  in  the  following  manner. 

In  the  early  winter,  when  these  birds  commenced  to 
arrive  in  great  flocks,  the  Apaches  took  large  numbers  of 
gourds  and  set  them  adrift  on  the  windward  side  of  the 
lagoon,  whence  they  were  gradually  propelled  by  the 
wind  until  they  reached  the  opposite  side,  when  they 
were  recovered  and  again  set  adrift.  At  first,  the  ducks 
and  geese  exhibit  dread  and  suspicion  of  these  strange 
floating  objects,  but  soon  get  used  to  them,  and  pay 
them  no  further  attention.  Having  arrived  at  this  stage, 


28  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

the  Indians  then  fit  these  gourds  upon  their  heads,  hav 
ing  been  furnished  with  holes  for  the  eyes,  nose  and 
mouth,  and,  armed  with  a  bag,  they  enter  the  water — 
not  over  five  feet  deep  in  any  part — and  exactly  imitating 
the  bobbing  motion  of  the  empty  gourd  upon  the  water, 
succeed  in  getting  close  enough  to  the  birds,  which  are 
then  caught  by  the  feet,  suddenly  dragged  under  water, 
and  stowed  in  the  bag.  The  dexterity  and  naturalness 
with  which  this  is  done  almost  exceeds  belief,  yet  it  is  a 
common  thing  among  them. 

About  eighteen  or  twenty  miles  east  of  the  Copper 
Mines  of  Santa  Rita,  is  a  hot  spring,  the  waters  of  which 
exhibit  a  heat  of  125  degrees  Fahrenheit,  and  after  hav 
ing  crossed  the  Mimbres,  the  whole  party  directed  its 
course  to  this  spring.  After  examining  it  thoroughly, 
and  having  the  qualities  of  its  water  tested  by  Dr.  Webb, 
we  prosecuted  our  march;  but  my  attention  was  soon 
after  arrested  by  a  number  of  antelopes  feeding  on  the 
plain,  not  more  than  half  a  mile  distant.  Anxious  to 
procure  one,  I  left  the  party,  and,  galloping  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  herd,  arrived  within  five  hundred  yards  of  it, 
when  I  dismounted  and  tying  my  horse  to  a  yucca  bush, 
proceeded  cautiously  on  foot,  carbine  in  hand.  Crawl 
ing  from  bush  to  bush,  and  hiding  behind  every  stone 
which  offered  any  shelter,  I  got  within  handsome  range 
of  a  fine  buck,  and  feeling  sure  that  the  animal  could 
not  escape  me,  I  raised  to  fire,  when,  just  as  I  was  taking 
aim,  I  was  astonished  to  see  the  animal  raise  erect  upon 
its  hind  legs,  and  heard  it  cry  out,  in  fair  Spanish,  "  No 
tiros,  no  liras!" — don't  fire,  don't  fire!  What  I  would 
have  sworn  was  an  antelope,  proved  to  be  a  young  In 
dian,  the  son  of  Ponce,  a  chief,  who,  having  enveloped 
himself  in  an  antelope's  skin,  with  head,  horns  and  all 
complete,  had  gradually  crept  up  to  the  herd  under  his 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  29 

disguise,  until  his  operations  were  brought  to  an  untimely 
end  by  perceiving  my  aim  directed  at  him.  The  Apaches 
frequently  adopt  this  method  of  hunting,  and  imitate 
the  actions  of  the  antelopes  so  exactly  as  to  completely 
mislead  those  animals  with  the  belief  that  their  deadliest 
enemy  is  one  of  their  number. 

We  arrived  at  the  Copper  Mines,  without  further  acci 
dent,  one  day  in  advance  of  our  military  escort,  and  had 
no  sooner  pitched  our  tent  than  we  were  visited  by  some 
eight  or  ten  of  the  most  villainous  looking  Apaches  it  is 
possible  to  conceive.  Although  the  weather  was  exceed 
ingly  cold,  with  snow  six  inches  deep  on  a  level,  and,  in 
some  places  where  it  had  drifted,  as  deep  as  three  or  four 
feet,  the  Indians  were  wholly  nude,  with  the  exception 
of  a  diminutive  breech  cloth.  They  bore  no  arms  of  any 
kind  and  pretended  to  be  very  friendly,  having  undoubt 
edly  seen  our  train  and  escort  crossing  the  plain  from 
their  various  places  of  observation  on  the  top  of  Ben 
Moore,  which  is  eight  thousand  feet  high.  Our  mules 
were  hitched  to  the  several  wheels  of  the  carriage  and 
my  horse  in  the  rear,  while  one  of  our  party  kept  constant 
and  vigilant  watch  over  the  animals.  When  night  fell 
Dr.  Webb  informed  the  Apaches,  through  me,  that  they 
must  leave  camp,  which  they  did  after  receiving  a  few 
presents  in  the  shape  of  tobacco,  beads  and  some  cotton 
cloth.  A  rousing  fire  was  then  made  in  front  of  the  tent, 
and  after  a  hearty  supper  our  small  party  retired  upon 
their  arms,  with  one  man  on  guard.  It  was  afterwards 
discovered  that  among  our  visitors  were  the  renowned 
warriors  Delgadito,  Ponce  and  Coletto  Amarillo.  These 
were  their  Mexican  names — their  Indian  appellations  I 
never  learned. 

About  11  o'clock,  A.  M.,  next  day,  Col.  Craig  appeared 
with  his  command,  and  formally  took  possession  of  the 


30  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

Copper  Mines,  the  great  head-quarters  of  the  redoubtable 
chief,  Mangas  Colorado,  or  the  "Ked  Sleeves/3  beyond 
all  comparison  the  most  famous  Apache  warrior  and 
statesman  of  the  present  century.  The  word  statesman 
is  used  advisedly  in  his  case,  as  will  be  made  apparent  to 
the  reader  in  the  course  of  his  perusal.  The  term 
chief  will  also  be  found,  hereafter,  to  have  a  very  great 
modification,  in  so  far  as  refers  to  the  Apache  race. 

The  Copper  Mines  of  Santa  Rita  are  located  imme 
diately  at  the  foot  of  a  huge  and  prominent  mount 
ain,  named  Ben  Moore.  These  extensive  mines  had  been 
abandoned  for  the  space  of  eighty  years,  but  were  un 
commonly  rich  and  remunerative.  They  were  formerly 
owned  by  a  wealthy  Mexican  company,  wjho  sent  the  ore 
to  Chihuahua,  where  a  Government  mint  existed,  and 
had  the  ore  refined  and  struck  into  the  copper  coinage 
of  the  country.  Although  the  distance  was  over  three 
hundred  miles,  and  every  pound  of  ore  had  to  be  trans 
ported  on  pack  mules,  yet  it  proved  a  paying  business, 
and  mining  was  vigorously  prosecuted  for  a  space  of 
some  twenty  years.  Huge  masses  of  ore,  yielding  from 
sixty  to  ninety  per  cent,  of  pure  copper,  are  still  visible 
all  about  the  mine,  and  frequently  considerable  pieces  of 
pure  copper  are  met  with  by  the  visitor.  The  reason  for 
its  sudden  and  long  abandonment  was  asked,  and  the 
following  story  related. 

During  the  period  that  the  Mexicans  carried  on  opera 
tions  at  the  mines,  the  Apaches  appeared  very  friendly, 
receiving  frequent  presents,  and  visiting  the  houses  of 
the  miners  without  question.  But  every  now  and  then 
the  Mexicans  lost  a  few  mules,  or  had  a  man  or  two 
killed,  and  their  suspicions  were  roused  against  the 
Apaches,  who  stoutly  denied  all  knowledge  of  these  acts 
and  put  on  an  air  of  offended  pride.  This  state  of  affairs 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  31 

continued  to  grow  worse  and  worse,  until  an  English 
man,  named  Johnson,  undertook  to  "settle  matters," 
and  to  that  end  received  carte  blanche  from  his  Mexican 
employers.  Johnson  ordered  &  fiesta,  or  feast,  prepared, 
and  invited  all  the  Copper  Mine  Apaches  to  partake. 
The  invitation  was  joyfully  accepted,  and  between  nine 
hundred  and  a  thousand,  including  men,  women  and 
children,  assembled  to  do  justice  to  the  hospitality  of 
their  entertainers.  They  were  caused  to  sit  grouped  to 
gether  as  much  as  possible,  while  their  host  had  prepared 
a  six-pounder  gun,  loaded  to  the  muzzle  with  slugs, 
musket  balls,  nails  and  pieces  of  glass,  within  one  hun 
dred  yards  of  their  main  body.  This  cannon  was  con 
cealed  under  a  pile  of  pack  saddles  and  other  rubbish, 
but  trained  on  the  spot  to  be  occupied  by  the  Apaches. 
The  time  arrived;  the  feast  was  ready;  the  gun  loaded 
and  primed;  Johnson  stood  ready  with  a  lighted  cigar 
to  give  the  parting  salute,  and  while  all  were  eating  as 
Apaches  only  can  eat,  the  terrible  storm  of  death  was 
sped  into  their  ranks,  killing,  wounding  and  maiming 
several  hundred.  This  fearful  volley  was  immediately 
followed  up  by  a  charge  on  the  part  of  the  Mexicans, 
who  showed  no  pity  to  the  wounded  until  nearly  four 
hundred  victims  had  been  sacrificed  at  this  feast  of  death. 
The  survivors  fled  in  dismay,  and  for  several  months  the 
miners  fancied  they  had  forever  got  rid  of  the  much 
hated  Apaches.  It  was  an  ill-grounded  hope,  as  the 
sequel  proved. 

The  Oopper  Mines  were  entirely  dependent  upon  Chi 
huahua  for  all  supplies,  and  large  conductors,  or  trains 
with  guards,  were  employed  in  the  business  of  bringing 
in  such  supplies,  and  taking  away  the  ore.  So  regular 
had  been  the  arrival  and  departure  of  these  trains,  that 
no  efforts  were  made  to  retain  provisions  enough  on  hand 


32  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

in  the  event  of  a  failure  to  arrive.  Besides,  no  molesta 
tion  of  any  kind  had  been  experienced  since  Johnson's 
experiment. '  At  length  three  or  four  clays  passed  beyond 
the  proper  time  for  the  conducta's  arrival;  provision  was 
becoming  exceedingly  scarce;  ammunition  had  been  ex 
pended  freely;  no  thought  for  the  morrow  had  taken 
possession  of  their  minds,  and  everything  went  on  in  the 
hap-hazard  way  of  thoughtless  Mexicans.  No  attempt 
was  made  to. send  a  party  in  quest  of  the  lost  train,  nor 
was  any  economy  exercised.  Two  or  three  days  more 
passed,  and  they  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  The 
surrounding  forests  of  heavy  pines  still  furnished  bear 
and  turkeys,  and  other  game  in  abundance,  but  their 
ammunition  was  becoming  exceedingly  scarce.  In  this 
dilemma  some  of  the  miners  climbed  Ben  Moore,  which 
gave  a  distinct  view  of  the  extensive  plain  reaching  to 
and  beyond  the  Mimbres  river,  but  no  sign  of  the  con- 
ducta  was  visible.  It  was  then  ordered  that  a  well-armed 
party  should  set  out  and  discover  its  fate,  but  those  who 
were  to  be  left  behind  resolved  to  go  also,  as  they  would 
otherwise  be  forced  to  remain  without  means  of  defence 
or  provisions.  On  a  given  day  every  man,  woman  and 
child  residing  in  the  Copper  Mines  took  their  departure; 
but  they  never  reached  their  place  of  destination.  The 
relentless  Apaches  had  foreseen  all  these  troubles,  and 
taken  measures  accordingly.  The  party  left,  but  their 
bones,  with  the  exception  of  only  four  or  five,  lie  bleach 
ing  upon  the  wide  expanse  between  the  Copper  Mines  of 
Santa  Rita  and  the  town  of  Chihuahua.  Such  is  the 
narrative  given  me  by  an  intelligent  Mexican,  whom  I 
afterward  met  in  Sonora.  From  that  time  for  more  than 
eighty  years,  the  Apache  had  remained  the  unmolested 
master  of  this  his  great  stronghold.  This  long  interval 
of  quiescence  was  rudely  interrupted  by  the  advent  of 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  33 

the  military  escort  to  the  Boundary  Commission,  which 
immediately  commenced  repairing  the  half-ruined  pre 
sidio,  and  rendering  some  fifty  small  adobe  buildings 
habitable  for  the  members  of  the  Commission.  These^ 
proceedings  were  watched  with  great  interest  and  un 
feigned  anxiety  by  the  Apaches,  who  frequently  asked 
whether  we  intended  to  remain  at  the  Copper  Mines,  and 
as  frequently  received  a  reply  in  the  negative.  The  real 
object  of  our  stay  was  explained  to  them;  but  they  could 
not  conceive  that  people  should  take  so  much  pains  to 
build  houses  and  render  them  comfortable  only  for  a 
short  residence,  to  be  again  abandoned  at  the  very  period 
when  men  could  live  in  the  open  air  without  disquietude. 

Shortly  afterward,  the  whole  Commission,  numbering 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  well-armed  men,  arrived, 
making  a  total  force  of  over  three  hundred  men.  This 
odds  was  more  than  the  Apaches  could  face,  with  any 
prospect  of  success,  and  they  relapsed  into  the  better 
part  of  valor,  under  the  advice  of  Mangas  Colorado  and 
his  leading  warriors.  The  gentle  nomads  pitched  their 
main  camp  about  two  miles  from  the  Copper  Mines,  and 
made  frequent  visits  to  observe  our  movements  and  to 
practice  their  skill  in  begging. 

Although  the  Copper  Mine,  or  Mimbres  Apaches,  have 
signalized  themselves  by  many  of  the  boldest  and  most 
daring  exploits,  they  are  not  physically  comparable  to 
the  Mescalero,  Jicarilla  and  Chiricahui  branches  of  the 
same  tribe.  But  what  they  lack  in  personal  strength 
they  make  up  in  wiliness  and  endurance.  No  amount  of 
cold,  hunger  or  thirst  seems  to  have  any  appreciable 
effect  upon  an  Apache.  "Whatever  his  sufferings,  no  com 
plaint  or  murmur  is  ever  heard  to  escape  his  lips,  and  he 
is  always  ready  to  engage  in  any  enterprise  which  prom 
ises  a  commensurate  reward.  Ten  Apaches  will  under- 


34  LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

take  a  venture  which  will  stagger  the  courage  and  nerve 
of  a  hundred  Yurnas,  Pimos  or  Navajoes,  although  the 
last  mentioned  tribe  is  an  undoubted  branch  of  the  Apache 
race,  as  will  be  shown  in  a  subsequent  chapter.  The  cun 
ning  of  the  Apache  is  only  equaled  by  his  skill  and  the 
audacity  with  which  he  executes  his  projects,  and  every 
success  is  chuckled  over  with  undissembled  gusto  by  the 
whole  tribe,  the  actors  only  assuming  an  unconcerned 
air,  as  if  wholly  disconnected  with  the  matter.  Their 
conversation  is  always  carried  on  in  low  tones,  and  only 
one  person  ever  presumes  to  speak  at  a  time.  There  is 
no  interruption  to  the  speaker's  remarks;  but  when  he 
ceases  another  takes  the  word,  and  either  replies  or  in 
dorses  the  opinions  of  his  predecessor.  During  a  general 
conversation  on  indifferent  topics  they  separate  into  sev 
eral  small  knots,  and  in  each  the  above  rules  are  strictly 
observed. 

I  had  selected  the  most  lovery  spot  in  the  valley  for 
the  site  of  my  tent,  which  was  some  six  hundred  yards 
distant  from  the  rest,  and  shut  out  from  sight  by  an  inter 
vening  hillock.  At  this  place  the  stream  widened  into  a 
handsome  basin  ten  yards  across,  and  with  a  little  labor 
I  had  built  a  sort  of  dam,  which  raised  the  water  in  the 
basin  to  the  depth  of  about  three  and  a  half  feet,  and 
formed  a  delicious  bathing  pool,  which  was  shaded  by 
a  very  large  and  spreading  cotton  wood  tree.  At  this 
place  the  Apaches  frequently  congregated  in  consider 
able  numbers,  maintaining  a  lively  conversation,  and 
enabling  me  to  make  many  observations  I  could  not 
otherwise  have  done.  As  I  was  the  only  member  of  the 
Commission  with  whom  they  could  converse,  my  tent 
became  their  head-quarters  during  their  visits,  which  were 
almost  daily  for  several  consecutive  months,  until  our 
amicable  relations  were  broken  up  by  their  irrepressible 
rascality  and  treachery. 


CHAPTER    IY. 

Journey  to  Sonora.  —  Adventure  \vith  Apaches.  — Fronteras.  —  Mexican  Dread  of 
Indians. —  Gen.  Carasco. —  Janos. —  Mexican  Policy  toward  the  Apaches. — 
Carasco's  Raid.  —  Gandara,  Monteverde  and  Urea.  —  Death  of  Carasco.  — 
Arispe.—  Apache  Prisoners.— Mexican  Guard.— Apaches  Attacking  a  Mexi 
can  Train.  —  Curious  Style  of  Pursuit. —Return  to  the  Copper  Mines.— 
Americans  Attacked  by  Apaches. — Traits  of  Apache  Character. — Craftiness. 

WERE  I  to  diverge  from  the  proposed  plan  of  narrating 
only  what  appertains  directly  to  the  elucidation  of  Indian 
character,  etc.,  this  work  might  be  continued  through  a 
series  of  volumes;  but  the  object  of  the  writer  is  to  con 
dense  his  remarks  to  such  incidents  as  have  relation  only 
to  the  various  Indian  tribes  he  encountered  in  the  course 
of  nine  years  experience  among  them. 

In  May,  the  Commissioner  resolved  on  a  journey  into 
Sonora,  to  ascertain  whether  supplies  of  corn,  flour,  sheep, 
and  cattle,  could  be  depended  upon  from  that  State  for 
the  use  of  the  Commission  operating  along  its  northern 
frontier,  and  also  for  other  objects  immediately  affecting 
the  welfare  of  the  body  under  his  orders,  and  the  prose 
cution  of  the  work  committed  to  his  charge.  On  the 
afternoon  of  the  third  day  we  camped  at  a  place  where 
several  holes  had  been  dug  by  previous  travelers,  and 
being  full  of  sweet  water  they  offered  us  the  first  refresh 
ment  of  the  kind  we  had  enjoyed  for  forty-eight  hours. 
The  country  for  a  long  distance  was  a  perfect  plain,  un 
broken  even  by  rocks  or  trees,  with  here  and  there  a 
shrub,  but  none  over  eighteen  inches  high.  At  this 
place,  on  a  subsequent  occasion,  an  incident  illustrative 


6b  LIFE    AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

of  the  Apache  race  occurred,  and  it  is  related  here,  al 
though  having  no  connection  with  our  march,  for  the 
sake  of  condensation. 

Several  years  after  accompanying  Mr.  Bartlett,  it  be 
came  necessary  for  a  small  party  of  Americans,  five  all 
told,  to  visit  Sonora  for  provisions,  and  knowing  the  road 
I  served  as  guide.  One  evening  we  encamped  at  the 
place  mentioned  above,  and  again  found  water  for  our 
famishing  party  and  their  animals.  It  was  a  God-send, 
as  we  had  been  without  water  for  nearly  sixt}^  hours.  In 
dian  signs  in  abundance  had  been  observed  during  the 
day,  and  we  were  all  alive  to  the  importance  of  keeping 
the  strictest  watch;  accordingly  two  were  placed  upon 
guard  at  a  time.  Richard  Purdy  and  myself  took  the 
first  watch,  each  one  occupying  a  flank  of  the  camp,  cer 
tainly  not  a  large  one,  but  of  the  utmost  importance. 
Knowing  the  nature  of  the  savages,  it  was  agreed  that 
we  should  not  walk  our  posts,  but  conceal  ourselves  as 
much  as  possible  and  keep  a  sharp  lookout.  Before 
nightfall,  Purdy  and  myself  took  the  exact  bearings  of 
each  shrub  within  pistol  range,  and  quietly  assumed  our 
positions  flat  down  in  the  grass,  each  man  being  sheltered 
by  a  small  bush.  There  was  no  moon,  but  a  bright  star 
light  enabled  us  to  perceive  objects  at  some  distance. 
The  evening  passed  quietly,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  we 
called  two  more  of  our  comrades,  who  assumed  our 
places,  after  having  pointed  out  to  them  our  precautions. 
At  two  o'clock,  A.  M.  ,  we  were  again  roused  to  resume 
guard,  and  each  one  took  his  position.  Scarcely  an  hour 
had  elapsed  when  it  arcpeared  to  me  that  a  certain  small 
bush  had  changed  position  somewhat;  but  not  liking  to 
create  a  false  alarm  and  be  laughed  at  for  my  pains,  I 
merely  determined  to  watch  it  with  earnest  attention. 
My  suspicions  and  precaution  were  amply  rewarded  by 


LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES.  37 

perceiving  the  bush  to  approach,  very  gradually  indeed, 
but  still  unmistakably.  I  dared  not  call  to  Purdy,  but 
got  ray  rifle  to  bear,  as  nearly  as  possible,  upon  the  root 
of  the  bush.  When  I  thought  my  aim  good,  and  felt 
tolerably  sure  of  my  sights,  I  pulled  the  trigger.  The 
shot  was  followed  by  the  yells  of  some  fifteen  Apaches, 
who  had  approached  within  thirty  paces  of  our  camp  by 
covering  their  heads  with  grass  and  crawling  upon  their 
bellies.  Our  comrades  jumped  to  their  feet  and  com 
menced  shooting  at  the  Indians,  who  discharged  one 
volley  into  our  camp  and  left  us  masters  of  the  field. 
We  lost  one  horse,  killed,  and  had  another  slightly 
wounded;  but  a  search  developed  the  Apache  of  the 
moving  bush  lying  dead,  with  a  hole  through  his  head. 
Without  waiting  for  dawn  the  animals  were  immediately 
got  ready  and  the  party  again  started  on  its  trip,  fearing 
that  the  Apaches  might  get  ahead  and  waylay  them  in 
some  dangerous  pass  or  canon. 

Accompanying  the  Commissioner,  in  the  course  of  time 
we  arrived  at  Agua  Prieta,  from  whence  I  was  dispatched 
with  Mr.  Thurber  and  Mr.  Stewart  to  discover  the  town 
of  Fronteras,  and  ascertain  whether  it  could  be  reached 
with  wagons.  Mounting  our  horses  we  pursued  a  straight 
line  for  the  supposed  site  of  the  town,  passing  through 
some  chapparel  and  over  broken  ridges,  until  we  arrived 
upon  an  extensive  and  beautiful  plain,  over  which  we 
galloped  with  free  rein.  About  half  an  hour  before 
sundown,  we  discovered  a  few  thin  columns  of  smoke 
ascending  to  the  right  of  our  road,  and  nearly  ahead, 
from  the  top  of  a  slight  eminence  about  three  miles  dis 
tant.  A  few  minutes  brought  us  to  the  spot,  but  we 
could  perceive  no  inhabitants  about  the  houses  on  the 
plain,  but  raising  our  eyes  to  the  hill,  we  saw  the  entire 
population  of  some  nine  hundred  souls,  besides  four  hun- 
3 


38  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

dred  soldiers,  huddled  together  in  evident  alarm.  They 
had  taken  us  for  Apaches,  and  fled  in  dismay  to  the 
presidio  and  protection  of  the  military;  but  when  they 
discovered  that  we  were  Americans,  nothing  could  ex 
ceed  their  wonder  at  our  hardihood  and  folly,  as  they 
termed  it,  in  penetrating  the  country  with  so  small  a 
party.  This  fact  will  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the 
abject  terror  with  which  the  poor  Mexicans  on  the  fron 
tiers  of  Sonora,  Chihuahua  and  Durango  regard  the 
Apache  Indians. 

To  persons  not  aware  of  the  causes,  this  timidity  would 
appear  as  rank  cowardice;  but,  however  true  such  a 
charge  would  be  of  the  masses,  yet  it  must  be  acknowl 
edged  that  there  are  notable  exceptions.  The  Mexicans 
on  the  northern  frontier  are  the  very  lowest  and  poorest 
of  their  countrymen.  Living  in  hovels  and  sustaining 
themselves  in  some  manner  never  yet  determined  or  as 
certained  by  any  other  people,  almost  wholly  without 
arms  or  ammunition,  and  brought  up  from  their  earliest 
infancy  to  entertain  the  most  abject  dread  and  horror  of 
the  Apaches,  they  are  forever  after  unable  to  divest  them 
selves  of  the  belief  that  an  Apache  warrior  is  not  a  man, 
but  some  terrible  ogre  against  whom  it  is  useless  to  con 
tend,  and  who  is  only  to  be  avoided  by  flight  or  appeased 
by  unconditional  submission. 

At  Fronteras  I  met  with  Gen.  Carasco,  Military  Gov 
ernor  of  Sonora,  and  an  old  enemy  whom  it  had  been 
my  lot  to  confront  during  the  Mexican  war.  The  Gen 
eral  received  us  with  marked  hospitality  and  kindness; 
offered  us  refreshments  of  which  we  stood  greatly  in 
need,  and  dispatched  runners  to  show  Mr.  Bartlett  the 
way  into  the  town.  During  the  evening's  session,  which 
lasted  into  the  "wee  sma'  hours  ayont  the  twal,"  the 
conversation  turned  upon  the  battle  of  Cerro  Gordo, 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  39 

where  the  General  commanded  a  brigade,  and  we  dis 
covered  that  he  barely  escaped  falling  into  our  hands. 
Discussing  the  character  of  the  Apaches  and  the  policy 
of  the  Mexican  Government  in  their  regard,  the  General 
made  the  following  remarks : 

"There  is  a  small  town  named  Janos,  in  Chihuahua, 
near  the  eastern  boundary  of  Sonora,  where  the  Apaches 
have  for  several  years  been  received  and  provided  with 
rations  by  the  Government  of  that  State,  although  the 
same  Indians  were  at  the  time  in  open  war  with  the 
Mexicans  of  Sonora.  Not  being  able  to  comprehend  the 
virtue  of  a  policy  which  feeds  Indians  in  one  State  that 
they  might  prey  upon  and  destroy  the  citizens  of  an 
other,  I  concluded  that  my  duty  was  to  destroy  the  enemy 
wherever  I  could  find  him.  Acting  upon  this  decision, 
I  waited  until  the  allotted  time  for  the  Apaches  to  visit 
Janos  to  obtain  their  regular  quarterly  rations,  and,  by 
forced  marches  at  night,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  place 
just  as  the  carnival  was  at  its  height.  We  killed  a  hun 
dred  and  thirty,  and  took  about  ninety  prisoners,  princi 
pally  women  and  children.  Col.  Medina,  commanding 
the  State  of  Chihuahua,  was  so  enraged  at  my  action, 
that  he  made  formal  complaint  to  the  Supreme  Govern 
ment,  which,  however,  after  some  unnecessary  delay,  ap 
proved  of  my  course/' 

I  expressed  much  astonishment  at  such  a  condition  of 
affairs,  when  Carasco  added:  "It  is  the  old  story;  our 
territory  is  enormous,  and  our  Government  weak.  It 
cannot  extend  its  protecting  arms  throughout  all  portions 
of  the  country.  Whole  provinces  are  left  for  years  to 
themselves,  except  in  the  matter  of  taxation,  and  things 
run  to  ruin.  It  is  to  this  cause  that  frequent  pronuncia- 
mentos  are  attributed.  The  richest  man  in  either  of  the 
distant  States  is  actual  lord  of  the  State,  and  can  always 


40  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

set  the  Government  at  defiance,  because  it  costs  so  much 
to  reduce  him  to  subordination.  I  will  give  you  an  in 
stance  in  point.  During  the  American  war,  Manuel 
Gandara  loaned  the  sum  of  four  hundred  thousand  dol 
lars  to  the  Supreme  Government,  receiving  its  acknowl 
edgements  for  that  amount,  with  interest  at  the  rate  of 
ten  per  cent,  per  annum.  After  the  war,  during  the 
administration  of  Pena  y  Pefia,  an  election  for  Governor 
took  place  in  Sonora,  in  which  Manuel  Gandara  and 
Manuel  Monteverde  were  the  competitors.  These  fami 
lies  were  as  deadly  rivals  as  the  houses  of  Borneo  and 
Capulet;  and  when  the  voting  was  over,  each  candidate 
claimed  the  election.  As  usual,  neither  applied  to  the 
Supreme  Government  for  arbitration,  but  each  sum 
moned  its  forces  and  engaged  in  civil  war.  Gandara 
was  backed  by  his  numerous  friends,  peons,  and  the 
Yaqui  Indians,  while  Monteverde  enlisted  the  interests 
of  many  prominent  Sonorians,  and  the  Opatah  and  Pap- 
ago  tribes.  War  raged  for  a  long  time,  until  Monte 
verde  applied  to  the  General  Government  for  protection. 
Gen.  Urea  was  sent  with  a  force  of  three  thousand  reg 
ulars  to  suppress  Gandara,  and  for  a  time  succeeded. 
At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  Gandara  called  upon 
the  Supreme  Government  to  refund  his  loan  of  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  threatening  that  if  payment 
were  not  forthcoming,  he  would  assign  his  claim  to  the 
British  Government.  This  threat  had  its  effect,  and 
soon  after  Gandara  was  put  in  possession  of  an  order, 
emanating  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  the  effect  that 
Urea  had  been  operating  without  proper  warrant  of  au 
thority,  and  that  if  Gandara  could  catch  that  officer,  he 
was  at  liberty  to  suspend  him  by  the  neck.  This  thor 
oughly  frightened  Urea,  who  immediately  returned  to 
the  capital." 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  41 

/'  added  Carasco,  "you  can  appreciate  the  del 
icate  position  in  whi^h  I  find  myself.  I  am  ordered  to 
the  military  command  of  Sonora,  but  am  supplied  with 
neither  men  nor  money.  Every  day  I  was  pained  by 
accounts  of  dreadful  Apache  raids,  in  which  men  were 
massacred ;  women  and  children  carried  off  captives; 
horses  and  property  destroyed,  and  extensive  districts 
laid  waste  and  abandoned.  At  length  I  resorted  to 
forced  contributions  from  the  rich  and  impressed  the 
poor,  determined  they  should  fight  for  their  own  in 
terests.  This  makes  me  unpopular  with  all  parties,  and 
I  expect,  some  day,  to  be  assassinated  for  my  zeal  in  their 
behalf."  Prophetic  words!  In  less  than  a  year  Carasco 
was  taken  off  by  poison;  so,  at  least,  it  was  reported. 

"Wending  our  way  from  Fronteras  we  reached  Arispe, 
the  former  capital  of  Sonora,  on  the  31st  of  May,  1850. 
At  the  time  of  our  visit  the  place  contained  about  twelve 
hundred  inhabitants;  but  no  American  can  possibly  con 
jecture  the  terror  felt  by  the  people,  of  all  classes,  when 
ever  it  wras  announced  that  the  Apaches  were  near.  The 
second  day  after  our  arrival  five  Apache  prisoners — two 
warriors  and  three  women — were  brought  into  town  under 
a  strong  guard  of  twenty-five  soldiers,  and  lodged  in  the 
town  jail  to  await  their  ultimate  destination.  Two  days 
afterward  the  rain  poured  down  in  torrents;  the  night 
was  exceedingly  dark  and  stormy ;  reverberating  peals  of 
thunder  shook  the  solid  hills,'  and  repeated  flashes  of  the 
most  vivid  lightning  inspired  the  beholder  with  awe. 
The  Mexican  guard  over  the  prisoners  retired  within 
and  lighted  their  cigaritos,  or  engaged  in  the  hazards  of 
monte.  The  doors  were  securely  closed  and  all  prepared 
to  pass  the  watch  away  with  as  much  relish  as  the  circum 
stances  wrould  permit.  A  little  after  midnight  certain 
peculiar  noises  were  heard  about  the  prison  and  were 


42  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

repeated  with  an  emphasis  which  compelled  attention. 
Instinctively  the  guard  knew  that  these  noises  proceeded 
from  Apaches  who  were  in  quest  of  their  incarcerated 
friends,  and  the  fact  was  quickly  made  apparent  by  the 
prisoners,  who  commenced  a  chant  in  their  native  tongue 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  outside.  Here  was  a  dilemma. 
The  Indians  were  undoubtedly  watching  the  door  with 
intense  interest,  and  no  one  dared  go  forth  in  that  im 
penetrable  gloom  to  face  the  savage  foe.  The  force  of 
the  enemy  was  unknown.  The  citizens  could  not  be  re 
lied  upon  for  aid;  no  one  would  come  to  their  assistance 
if  attacked;  they  only  numbered  eight  men  and  a  sergeant, 
and  they  were  panic-stricken.  Perceiving  this  state  of 
affairs,  the  Apache  prisoners  boldly  advanced  and  de 
manded  to  be  let  out,  at  the  same  time  giving  fearful 
yells  to  apprise  their  friends  of  their  designs,  which  were 
seconded  by  repeated  strokes  of  heavy  stones  against  the 
door.  In  their  overpowering  terror  the  guard  mustered 
its  whole  strength,  opened  the  door  slightly  and  per 
mitted  their  savage  charge  to  leave.  It  is  needless  to  add 
that  they  were  never  seen  more.  This  is  no  figment  of 
the  brain,  but  the  real,  undisguised  fact,  and  is  recorded 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  how  completely  the  Apaches 
have  control  of  the  Mexican  race  upon  the  frontier. 

Another  incident  illustrative  of  this  supremacy  occurred 
in  the  same  town.  A  band  of  fifteen  Apaches  pursued  a 
pack  train  and  overtook  it  within  three  hundred  yards  of 
Arispe.  The  arrieros  saved  themselves  by  speedy  night, 
but  the  train  was  plundered  and  the  mules  driven  off. 
"Within  an  hour  nearly  two  hundred  armed  men  assembled 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  pursuing  the  savages  and  re 
covering  the  plunder.  I  happened  to  be  on  the  Plaza  at 
the  time,  and  had  just  before  observed  the  Indians  mak 
ing  for  the  mountains  lying  east  of  the  town.  Which 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  43 

way  did  they  go  ?  asked  the  Mexican  leader.  I  pointed 
out  the  direction,  and  also  called  his  attention  to  the  vol 
ume  of  dust  raised  by  the  retreating  savages.  He  thanked 
me,  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  column,  cried  out, 
"Marchamos  valientes" — let  us  march,  brave  fellows — and 
took  a  course  the  very  opposite  of  the  one  pointed  out. 
I  then  and  there  made  up  my  mind,  that  if  a  similar  affair 
should  ever  happen  where  I  was,  and  a  Mexican  should 
inquire  the  route  of  the  Indians,  I  would  indicate  the 
opposite  to  the  one  actually  taken. 

On  our  return  from  Sonora  we  met  a  force  of  two  hun 
dred  Mexican  soldiers  in  the  Guadalupe  Pass,  who  in 
formed  us  that  a  party  of  ten  Americans  had  been  waylaid 
by  the  Apaches  near  the  town  of  Janos,  in  Chihuahua, 
and  that  one  was  killed  and  three  others  wounded,  the 
panic-stricken  survivors  saving  themselves  by  precipitate 
flight.  I  felt  convinced  that  this  villainy  had  been  per 
petrated  by  the  Copper  Mine  Apaches,  who  had  been  so 
seemingly  friendly  with  us,  but  could  not  substantiate 
the  charge.  Subsequent  revelations  satisfied  me  that  my 
suspicions  were  well  founded,  for  soon  after  our  arrival 
at  the  Copper  Mines  Mr.  Bartlett  sounded  Mangas  Colo 
rado  on  the  subject,  but  he  denied  any  knowledge  what 
ever  of  the  affair;  yet  two  days  afterward  admitted  that 
he  knew  about  it,  and  said  that  it  had  been  done  by  some 
bad  young  men  over  whom  he  had  no  control. 

An  Apache  is  trained  from  his  earliest  infancy  to  regard 
all  other  people  as  his  natural  enemies.  He  is  taught  that 
the  chief  excellence  of  man  is  to  outwit  his  fellows.  He 
is  made  to  feel  that  the  highest  honors  are  bestowed  upon 
him  who  is  master  of  the  greatest  amount  of  rascality. 
The  favors  of  the  women  are  lavished  upon  the  most 
adroit  thief,  because  his  dexterity  enables  him  to  furnish 
a  more  copious  supply  to  their  wants  and  caprices.  As 


44  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

they  never  engage  in  any  pursuit  except  that  of  war  and 
the  chase,  all  their  worldly  goods  are  the  results  of  their 
skill  and  proficiency  in  these  vocations.  Polygamy  being 
an  institution  among  them,  the  man  who  can  support  or 
keep,  or  attract  by  his  power  to  keep,  the  greatest  num 
ber  of  women,  is  the  man  who  is  deemed  entitled  to  the 
greatest  amount  of  honor  and  respect.  Gianatah  is  a 
great  brave,  said  one  in  my  hearing — does  he  not  keep 
seven  squaws  ?  and  yet  Gianatah  was  not,  so  far  as  per 
sonal  bravery  goes,  the  leading  warrior  of  his  band;  but 
he  was  the  most  dexterous  thief. 

After  our  return  to  the  Copper  Mines,  I  was  sitting  in 
front  of  my  tent  one  afternoon,  writing  a  letter,  when  an 
Apache  approached  and  for  some  reason  regarded  me 
attentively. 

"  What  are  you  doing? "  he  at  length  inquired. 
"  Talking  to  my  friends  at  home/' 
' '  But  how  can  you  talk  to  them  so  far  off?  " 
"  I  will  tell  you.  When  the  Apache  desires  to  indicate 
speed  he  makes  the  figure  of  a  bird;  if  he  wishes  to  de 
note  something  beautiful  or  sweet,  he  delineates  a  flower; 
if  he  desires  to  express  sloth,  he  makes  the  figure  of  a 
tortoise.  These  facts  you  know;  but  we  do  not  use  those 
symbols,  and  in  their  place  we  have  agreed  upon  certain, 
characters,  which  being  put  together  make  words  and 
indicate  ideas.  For  instance,  you  see  we  make  such 
marks;  well,  I  send  this  paper  to  my  friends,  and  they 
know  just  what  these  marks  mean,  the  same  as  you  would 
know  what  a  bird  or  a  tortoise  meant;  because  we  have 
all  agreed  upon  a  distinct  and  special  interpretation." 
These  ideas  were  expressed  to  him  in  Spanish  with  great 
distinctness,  and  repeated  until  he  seemed  to  comprehend 
their  gist. 

The  savage  pondered  for  a  while,  and  then  said:     "  I 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  45 

do  not  believe  you;  those  characters  all  seem  alike;  no 
body  can  distinguish  any  difference  among  many  of  them; 
you  are  trying  to  fool  me,  and  make  me  believe  you  are 
a  great  medicine  man." 

"  Indian,"  I  answered,  "  I  will  give  you  proof.  You 
see  yonder  man?  He  is  the  sutler.  I  will  give  you  a 
note  to  him,  authorizing  you  to  receive  a  piece  of  tobacco; 
he  is  at  least  four  hundred  yards  away,  and  cannot  know 
of  this  conversation.  If  he  gives  you  the  tobacco  on  the 
reception  of  my  note,  you  must  believe." 

"Very  good;  my  white-eyed  brother  speaks  well.  I 
will  make  the  trial,  and  will  see  if  he  says  truth." 

The  note  was  written  and  delivered  to  my  copper- 
colored  friend,  who  started  off  on  a  brisk  trot  until  he 
reached  the  sutler,  to  whom  he  delivered  his  order. 
Having  read  it,  the  sutler  handed  him  a  piece  of  tobacco, 
which  seemed  greatly  to  excite  his  astonishment.  My 
friend  looked  at  the  weed,  then  scratched  his  head  and 
looked  again,  in  undisguised  wonderment,  advancing 
toward  my  tent  steadily.  "When  within  twenty  yards,  I 
noticed  his  eyes  gleam  with  suppressed  satisfaction,  and 
hastily  coming  up,  he  said: 

"Look  here,  white  man,  you  try  to  make  a  fool  of 
poor  Apache.  You  and  the  other  man  made  this  thing 
up  beforehand,  to  force  me  into  the  belief  that  you  are  a 
great  medicine.  Now,  if  you  want  me  to  believe  you, 
just  write  another  letter  for  another  piece  of  tobacco,  and 
if  he  gives  it  to  me,  then  I  will  believe." 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  cunning  ruse  of  the 
Apache  to  secure  two  pieces  of  tobacco,  did  not  succeed. 

Although  my  tent  was  so  far  removed  from,  the  rest  of 
the  Commission  as  to  render  me  isolated  from  the  pro 
tection  of  my  comrades,  I  never  experienced  any  alarm, 
as  I  possessed  two  very  large  and  fine  dogs,  and  was  ac- 


46  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

companied  by  my  servant,  Josd,  a  faithful  and  brave  Mex 
ican  boy,  of  some  nineteen  years  of  age.  My  armory 
consisted  of  four  six-shooters,  two  rifles,  a  double-bar 
reled  shot  gun,  two  bowie-knives,  and  plenty  of  ammu 
nition  for  each  weapon.  I  could  discharge  twenty-eight 
shots  without  reloading,  and  backed  by  Jose  and  my 
faithful  dogs,  which  kept  the  strictest  watch  at  night,  I 
was  satisfied  that  a  moderate  band  of  Indians  could  be 
kept  at  bay  until  assistance  arrived.  This  fancied  secur 
ity  was  destroyed  after  a  few  weeks,  by  a  circumstance 
which  will  be  related  in  a  future  chapter;  but  it  required 
very  strong  motives  to  induce  my  relinquishment  of  the 
most  pleasant  location  at  the  Copper  Mines. 


CHAPTER    Y. 

Mangas  Colorado.  —  His  Personal  Appearance,  Power,  and  Influence.  —  Indian 
Forces  at  the  Copper  Mines.— The  Navajoes.— Their  Appearance  and  Sub 
sequent  Acts.— Their  Schemes  Foiled.— Mangas  in  Full  Uniform.— Strange 
Mode  of  Attire.— Inez  Gonzales.— Her  Rescue.— New  Mexican  Traders.— 
Summary  Proceedings.— Story  of  Inez.— March  into  Sonora.— Santa  Cruz.— 
Restoration  of  Inez. — Her  subsequent  History. — Tanori. 

MANGAS  COLORADO,  or  Ked  Sleeves,  was,  undoubtedly, 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  Apache  who  has 
existed  for  a  century.  Gifted  with  a  large  and  powerful 
frame,  corded  with  iron-like  sinews  and  muscles,  and 
possessed  of  far  more  than  an  ordinary  amount  of  brain 
strength,  he  succeeded,  at  an  early  age,  in  winning  a 
reputation  unequaled  in  his  tribe.  His  daring  exploits, 
his  wonderful  resources,  his  diplomatic  abilities,  and  his 
wise  teachings  in  council  soon  surrounded  him  with  a 
large  and  influential  band,  which  gave  him  a  sort  of 
prestige  and  sway  among  the  various  branches  of  his 
race,  and  carried  his  influence  from  the  Colorado  river  to 
the  Guadalupe  mountains.  Throughout  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico,  Mangas  Colorado  was  a  power  in  the  land. 
Yet  he  could  assume  no  authority  not  delegated  to  him 
by  his  people.  He  never  presumed  to  speak  for  them 
as  one  having  authority,  but  invariably  said  he  would 
use  his  influence  to  perform  certain  promises  and  engage 
ments.  Mangas,  in  one  of  his  raids  into  Sonora,  carried 
off  a  handsome  and  intelligent  Mexican  girl,  whom  he 
made  his  wife,  to  the  exclusion  of  his  Apache  squaws. 
This  singular  favoritism  bred  some  trouble  in  the  tribe 


48  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

for  a  short  time,  but  was  suddenly  ended  by  Mangas 
challenging  any  of  the  offended  brothers  or  relatives  of 
his  discarded  wives.  Two  accepted  the  wager,  and  both 
were  killed  in  fair  duel.  By  his  Mexican  wife  Mangas 
had  three  really  beautiful  daughters,  and  through  his 
diplomatic  ability,  he  managed  to  wive  one  with  the  chief 
of  the  Navajoes;  another  with  the  leading  man  of  the 
Mescalero  Apaches,  and  the  third  with  the  war  chief  of 
th^  Coyoteros.  By  so  doing,  he  acquired  a  very  great 
influence  in  these  tribes,  and,  whenever  he  desired,  could 
obtain  their  assistance  in  his  raids.  His  height  was  about 
six  feet;  his  head  was  enormously  large,  with  a  broad, 
bold  forehead,  a  large  acquiline  nose,  a  most  capacious 
mouth,  and  broad,  heavy  chin.  His  eyes  were  rather 
small,  but  exceedingly  brilliant  and  flashing  when  under 
any  excitement — although  his  outside  demeanor  was  as 
imperturbable  as  brass.  This  is  the  man  we  met  at  the 
Copper  Mines;  but  as  his  name  will  be  mentioned  many 
times  in  the  course  of  this  narrative,  in  connection  with 
his  acts,  no  more  need  be  added  at  present.  His  most 
immediate  counselors  and  attaches  were  Delgadito, 
Ponce,  Cuchillo  Negro,  Coletto  Amarillo,  El  Chico,  and 
Pedro  Azul.  These  were  all  appellations  bestowed  by 
Mexicans,  and  not  their  Apache  names,  which  I  never 
learned. 

The  Indian  force  about  the  Copper  Mines  amounted, 
according  to  my  calculations,  to  four  hundred  warriors, 
who  were  no  match  for  the  three  hundred  well  armed 
and  thoroughly  organized  Americans.at  the  place.  Four 
or  five  weeks  elapsed  in  amicable  intercourse  with  the 
Apaches;  but  from  occasional  expressions,  I  felt  con 
vinced  that  Mangas  had  sought  aid  for  the  purpose  of 
expelling  us  at  the  earliest  possible  moment.  Nothing, 
however,  occurred  to  strengthen  my  suspicions,  and  I 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  49 

had  almost  dismissed  them  entirely,  when  I  was  sur 
prised  one  morning  to  see  the  camp  full  of  strange  sav 
ages,  who  proved  to  be  Navajoes,  and  were  on  the  best 
terms  with  the  Apaches.  The  new  comers  were  fine 
looking,  physically,  but  carried  in  their  faces  that  name 
less  yet  unmistakable  impress  of  low  cunning  and 
treachery,  which  I  afterward  found  to  be  the  leading- 
traits  of  their  tribe.  Although  they  are  of  the  great 
Apache  race,  speaking  identically  the  same  language 
and  observing  the  same  general  habits  of  life  in  all 
respects,  yet  they  are  far  inferior  in  point  of  courage, 
prowess,  skill  and  intelligence.  Five  Apache  warriors 
will  undertake  and  accomplish  an  exploit  which  no 
fifty  Navajoes  would  venture  to  perform.  A.  single 
Apache  will  go  off,  unaided,  and  commit  a  daring  rob 
bery  or  murder  which  twenty  Navajoes  would  shrink 
from  attempting. 

Our  new  visitors  were  all  mounted  on  small,  but  strong, 
active  and  wiry  looking  horses,  which  they  rode  with 
remarkable  ease  and  grace.  Feeling  satisfied  in  m}^  own 
mind  that  they  had  come  there  at  the  request  of  Mangas 
Colorado,  I  advised  Col.  Craig  of  my  suspicions,  and  he, 
in  turn,  imparted  the  idea  to  Mr.  Bartlett.  We  learned 
that  four  hundred  Navajo  warriors  were  encamped  on 
the  Gila  river,  only  thirty  miles  distant,  and  knew  that 
the  Indian  Commissariat  could  not  support  so  great  a 
number  for  any  length  of  time,  and  that  no  such  assem 
blage  would  have  been  got  together  in  that  portion  of 
the  country  unless  for  some  determined  purpose.  The 
hunting  grounds  around  the  Copper  Mines  offered  no 
special  inducement,  as  they  must  have  crossed  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  of  better  hunting  country  to  arrive  where 
they  then  were.  There  was  no  trading  to  rely  upon,  and 
on  special  incentive  other  than  to  help  Mangas  in  driv- 


50  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

ing  us  out  of  the  place,  or  assisting  him  to  steal  our 
animals. 

Their  visits  were  very  regular  for  three  or  four  days, 
when,  probably  finding  us  too  strong  and  too  much 
on  our  guard  to  attack,  they  disappeared  for  a  while,  to 
return  some  weeks  after  and  help  to  carry  off  our  horses 
and  mules.  Daring  their  stay,  my  tent  and  its  neigh 
borhood  were  crowded  with  these  savages,  who  asked  me 
a  multitude  of  questions,  but  never  answered  one  of 
mine.  This  reticence  on  their  part  taught  me  a  lesson, 
and  I  soon  learned  to  endure  their  presence  with  perfect 
equanimity  and  nonchalance,  smoking  and  replying  to 
their  queries  with  a  simple  nod  or  wave  of  the  hand. 
My  six-shooters  and  knife  were  always  upon  my  person 
duiing  these  interviews,  and  my  boy  Jose  sat  in  the  back 
part  of  the  tent  with  a  Sharp's  carbine  and  double  bar 
reled  gun,  well  loaded  with  buckshot,  within  easy  reach. 
I  never  permitted  a  Navajo  to  get  behind  me,  and,  while 
treating  them  with  courtesy,  gave  them  to  understand 
that  I  had  no  special  feeling  on  the  subject,  but  regarded 
their  visits  as  a  matter  of  course. 

It  was  a  noticeable  fact  that  neither  Mangas  Colorado 
or  any  of  his  leading  men  ever  mixed  with  the  Navajoes 
while  in  our  camp,  and  judging  this  conduct  somewhat 
strained  and  unnatural,  Mr.  "Wiems  and  myself  deter 
mined  to  watch  them.  In  pursuance  of  this  object,  we 
saddled  our  horses  one  evening  after  the  Indians  had  re 
tired,  for  they  were  never  permitted  in  camp  after  sun 
set,  and  very  quietly  picked  our  way  to  their  bivouac, 
about  two  miles  distant  at  that  time.  Gaining  a  slight 
eminence  that  overlooked  them,  we  applied  our  field 
glasses,  and,  by  the  light  of  their  fires,  distinctly  saw 
Mangas  and  the  principal  men  in  close  conference  with 
the  leading  Navajoes.  This  fact  was  also  reported  to 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  51 

Col.  Craig,  who  took  additional  precautions,  which  had 
the  effect  of  relieving  us  from  the  presence  of  the  new 
comers.  In  after  years,  it  was  my  lot  to  make  a  very  ex 
tensive  and  sanguinary  acquaintance  with  this  tribe,  and 
the  opportunity  was  improved  to  the  utmost.  Thousands 
of  them  were  subjected  to  my  control,  and  quite  a  num 
ber  of  them  remembered  me  from  the  time  we  met  at  the 
Copper  Mines.  In  several  conversations  I  accused  them 
of  coming  to  aid  Mangas,  and  assisting  him  in  getting 
rid  of  his  unwelcome  intruders;  and  on  each  occasion 
they  frankly  admitted  that  they  Lad  visited  the  Copper 
Mines  with  that  intention.  Mangas  had  sent  messengers 
to  tell  them  that  a  large  body  of  Americans  had  come 
into  his  country;  that  they  were  very  rich  in  horses, 
mules,  cotton  cloth,  beads,  knives,  pistols,  rifles  and 
ammunition;  that  he  was  not  strong  enough  to  murder 
and  plunder  us  himself,  and  therefore  required  their  aid, 
in  which  case  one  half  the  plunder  was  to  be  theirs,  in 
the  event  of  success.  Lured  by  these  promises,  and 
urged  by  their  chief,  who  was  the  son-in-law  of  Mangas, 
four  hundred  of  them  had  come  down  to  help  that  re 
nowned  warrior.  They  met  in  council,  and  agreed  to 
come  in  and  spy  out  the  land  before  commencing  oper- 
'ations,  little  supposing  that  we  would  discern  any  differ 
ence  between  them  and  the  Apaches  proper.  Should 
matters  promise  well,  a  sudden  attack  was  to  be  made 
by  their  united  forces;  but  if  that  was  not  practicable 
without  great  loss  of  life  on  their  part,  then  the  system 
of  distressing  us  by  stealing  our  animals  and  cutting  off 
small  parties,  was  to  be  adopted.  All  these  statements 
I  got  from  Manuelito  and  others,  at  Fort  Sumner,  thir 
teen  years  after  our  occupation  of  the  Copper  Mines  in 
Arizona.  The  subject  was  frequently  talked  over,  and 
remembered  as  vividly  as  if  it  were  a  thing  of  yesterday. 


52  LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

Mr.  Bartlett,  in  order  to  retain  the  supposed  friend 
ship  of  Mangas,  had  a  fine  pair  of  blue  pants,  ornamented 
with  a  wide  red  stripe  down  the  outside  of  the  legs,  made 
for  that  respectable  individual.  To  this  were  added  a 
good  field  officer's  uniform  and  epaulettes,  given  by  Col. 
Craig,  a  new  white  shirt,  black  cravat,  and  an  excellent 
pair  of  new  shoes,  such  as  are  furnished  to  our  soldiers. 
It  was  my  duty  to  invest  Mangas  in  his  new  suit,  but 
some  difficulty  was  experienced  in  getting  him  to  wear 
his  shirt  inside  of  his  pants  instead  of  outside.  After  a 
time  he  made  his  appearance  in  grande  tenue,  evidently  in 
love  with  his  own  elegant  person.  During  the  whole 
day  he  strutted  about  the  camp,  the  envied  of  all  behold 
ers,  and  as  vain  of  his  new  dress  as  a  peacock  of  his 
feathers.  The  next  day  Mangas  failed  to  put  in  an  ap 
pearance;  but  the  day  after  he  came,  with  his  pantaloons 
wrapped  around  his  waist;  his  shirt,  dirty  and  partly 
torn,  outside;  his  uniform  coat  buttoned  to  his  chin; 
one  epaulet  on  his  breast,  and  the  other  fastened,  bul 
lion  down,  between  the  hind  buttons  of  his  coat.  In 
this  guise  he  fancied  himself  an  object  worthy  of  uni 
versal  admiration;  and  as  he  walked  along,  he  would 
turn  his  eyes  over  his  shoulder  to  relish  the  brilliant 
flashes  of  his  posterior  ornament.  In  less  than  a  week, 
coat,  shirt,  pants  and  epaulettes  were  sported  by  another 
Indian  after  his  fashion.  Mangas  had  gambled  them 
away,  and  the  wearer  was  the  fortunate  winner. 

On  the  evening  of  the  27th  of  June,  1850,  Mr.  W. 
Bausman,  Mr.  J.  E.  "Wierns  and  myself  were  standing  in 
front  of  the  sutler's  store,  when  we  perceived  a  light, 
resembling  a  camp  fire,  about  two  hundred  yards  distant, 
near  the  banks  of  the  creek.  We  knew  that  Indians 
were  prohibited  from  being  there  after  sundown,  and  as 
none  of  the  Commission  dwelt  in  that  direction,  it  was 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  53 

agreed  to  go  and  find  out  who  were  the  campers  about 
the  fire.  We  approached  cautiousty,  and  found  our 
selves  in  a  bivouac  of  Indians  and  Mexicans.  Among 
them  was  a  young  and  handsome  girl,  clothed  in  a  tat 
tered  chemise,  with  a  buckskin  skirt,  and  another  skin 
thrown  over  her  shoulders.  This  girl,  who  was  not  an  In 
dian,  appeared  to  be  the  waitress  of  the  party,  for  whom 
she  was  preparing  supper.  As  our  approach  had  not 
been  observed,  we  quietly  proceeded  to  the  cook  fire, 
which  was  about  four  yards  from  the  party,  and  I  asked 
the  girl,  in  a  low  voice,  who  those  people  were.  She 
seemed  evidently  alarmed,  and  refusing  to  answer,  hur 
ried  away  to  wait  upon  her  associates.  We  remained  until 
she  came  back,  when  I  told  her  that  it  was  necessary  for 
U3  to  know  who  they  were;  to  which  she  placed  her  fin 
ger  on  her  lips,  and  betokened  that  she  dared  not  tell. 
The  question  was,  however,  pressed,  when  she  stated  in 
a  whisper  that  she  was  a  captive,  and  that  the  Mexicans 
present  had  just  bought  her,  and  were  going  to  convey 
her  to  New  Mexico.  As  this  thing  was  specially  prohib 
ited  by  the  United  States  laws,  we  made  our  way  imme 
diately  to  Mr.  Bartlett  and  laid  the  matter  before  that 
gentleman  for  his  consideration.  With  great  prompt 
itude  Mr.  Bartlett  communicated  the  facts,  in  writing, 
to  Col.  Craig,  and  asked  that  gallant  officer  for  av force 
to  rescue  the  girl  from  her  unhappy  condition.  This  re 
quest  was  granted  as  soon  as  possible,  and  Lieut.  Green 
was  ordered  to  take  a  file  of  men  and  bring  the  girl  be 
fore  the  Commissioner.  This  was  done  without  delay, 
and  the  captive  placed  for  the  night  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  Bartlett,  who  assigned  her  a  comfortable  room,  and 
placed  a  proper  guard  over  her  quarters. 

In  the  meantime  the  Apaches  had  slipped  away,  but  a 
guard  was  put  over  the  Mexican  traders  for  the  night. 


54  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

Next  day  they  were  summoned  before  the  Commissioner 
to  account  for  their  possession  of  the  girl,  and  their  in 
tentions  as  to  her  future  disposal.  Next  morning  the 
traders  respectively  gave  their  names  as  Peter  Blacklaws 
— a  very  appropriate  nomenclature — Pedro  Archeveque, 
which,  being  translated,  means  Peter  Archbishop — a  very 
inappropriate  name — and  Faustin  Yaldes.  The  testimony 
extracted  from  these  men  was  extremely  conflicting,  but 
the  tenor  of  it  went  to  show  that  they  were  engaged,  with 
some  fifty  others,  in  unlawful  barter  and  trade  with  the 
Indians,  selling  them  powder  and  arms,  probably,  in  ex 
change  for  female  Mexican  captives  of  attractive  persons, 
horses,  skins,  etc.  Mr.  Bartlett  felt  fully  authorized  to 
deprive  them  of  the  captive,  but  having  no  authority  to 
punish  the  scoundrels,  they  were  released;  they  were  im 
mediately  af  terwards  waited  upon  by  several  gentlemen 
of  the  Commission,  who  gave  them  to  understand  that 
any  delay  in  getting  out  of  that  place  would  be  attended 
with  imminent  danger.  In  less  than  twenty  minutes  they 
had  left  the  Copper  Mines,  poorer  but  wiser  men. 

The  young  captive  gave  her  name  as  Inez  Gonzales, 
the  eldest  child  of  Jesus  Gonzales,  of  Santa  Cruz,  on  the 
frontier  of  Sonora.  About  nine  months  previous,  she 
had  left  Santa  Cruz  with  her  uncle,  aunt,  a  female  friend 
and  her  friend's  brother,  for  the  purpose  of  being  pres 
ent  at  the  grande  fiesta  de  Nuestra  Senora  de  la  Magda- 
lena,  or,  the  grand  feast  of  our  Lady  of  Magdalena. 
They  were  protected  by  a  military  escort  of  ten  soldiers 
and  an  ensign.  The  second  day  of  their  journey  they 
were  ambushed  by  a  large  party  of  El  Pinal  Apaches, 
who  killed  her  uncle  and  eight  soldiers,  including  their 
officer,  and  carried  off  her  and  her  two  female  friends, 
with  the  boy.  For  seven  months  she  had  been  in  their 
power,  and  made  to  perform  all  the  hard  labor  of  an 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  55 

Apache  squaw,  receiving  kicks  and  blows  as  her  reward. 
One  old  woman  of  the  tribe,  who  had  a  tongue  which 
made  even  the  warriors  quail,  however,  took  a  passing 
fancy  for  Inez,  and  from  that  time  protected  her  from 
insult  or  harm  so  long  as  she  remained  among  them. 
Her  companions  in  captivity  were  subsequently  pur 
chased  by  a  band  of  New  Mexican  traders,  who  took 
them  olT  in  a  northerly  direction.  She  never  saw  or 
heard  of  them  afterwards.  A  second  party  had  seen  and 
purchased  her,  with  the  view  of  taking  her  to  Santa  Fe, 
for  speculative  and  villainous  purposes,  when  she  was 
rescued  by  the  Commission,  every  member  of  which  vied 
with  each  other  to  extend  their  protection  and  care  over 
this  poor  and  suffering  girl.  Although  she  remained 
among  us  until  her  restoration  to  her  parents  and  home, 
the  sequel  of  her  adventures  will  be  given  now. 

On  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  August,  exactly  two 
months  from  the  date  of  her  rescue,  the  Commission  left 
the  Copper  Mines,  to  prosecute  its  duties  in  the  field, 
and  as  it  had  become  necessary  to  visit  Sonora  again, 
Mr.  Bartlett  determined  upon  giving  himself  the  gratifi 
cation  of  restoring  the  fair  Inez  to  the  arms  of  her  mourn 
ing  mother.  After  many  days'  wandering,  during  which 
our  small  party  was  frequently  reduced  to  only  five  or 
six,-  by  reason  of  sending  off  occasional  detachments, 
and  after  having  lost  our  way  and  been  forced  to  the 
necessity  of  living  upon  purslain  and  water  for  several 
successive  days,  we  finally  arrived  near  the  town  of  Santa 
Cruz,  on  the  22d  of  September,  nearly  a  month  subse 
quent  to  leaving  the  Copper  Mines.  On  the  morning  of 
the  23d,  just  one  year  to  a  day  from  the  date  of  her  cap 
ture,  two  men  were  dispatched  to  inform  the  family  of 
Inez  of  her  safety,  and  to  add  that  she  would  be  with 
her  relations  in  four  or  five  hours.  About  three  miles 


56  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

from  town  we  met  a  large  and  joyous  party  of  Mexicans, 
arrayed  in  their  gaudiest  holiday  costumes,  and  headed 
by  the  mother  of  our  fair  charge.  They  had  come  out  to 
welcome  her  return  and  release  from  captivity  among  the 
Apaches,  a  thing  never  before  known  to  have  occurred. 
Mr.  Bartlett  conceded  to  me  the  privilege  of  placing  Inez 
into  the  longing  arms  of  her  mother,  who,  after  repeated 
embraces,  and  amidst  alternate  tears,  prayers,  thanks 
givings  and  joyous  cries,  yielded  her  place  to  the  strong 
but  inferior  claims  of  other  relatives  and  friends,  all  of 
whom  ardently  and  most  affectionately  embraced  her  by 
turns.  It  was  one  of  the  most  affecting  scenes  conceiva 
ble,  and,  in  joyous  procession,  the  whole  party  entered 
the  town,  amidst  the  loudest  acclamations  of  the  entire 
population.  Inez  immediately  entered  the  church,  where 
the  good  priest  was  in  attendance,  and  went  through  a 
solemn  ceremony  and  thanksgiving.  These  scenes  and 
all  their  attendant  circumstances  have  ever  been  among 
the  most  pleasant  in  my  remembrance.  They  form  a 
delicious  oasis  amidst  the  unpleasant  recollections  of 
"  man's  inhumanity  to  man/'  Her  own  father  had  been 
deceased  for  some  years,  and  the  mother  of  Inez  was 
then  married  to  a  man  named  Ortis,  a  very  excellent, 
honest  and  reliable  Mexican,  who  testified  quite  as  much 
joy  at  her  release  from  a  captivity  far  worse  than  death, 
as  if  she  had  been  his  own  child. 

The  future  career  of  this  young  and  attractive  girl, 
whose  fate  was  so  suddenly  and  providentially  changed, 
is  worthy  of  record. 

Some  months  after  the  Commission  left,  on  its  way  to 
ward  California,  Inez  attracted  and  secured  the  admira 
tion  of  a  Captain  Gomez  in  the  Mexican  Regular  Army, 
and,  at  that  time,  in  command  of  the  frontier  town  of 
Tubac.  The  relaxed  state  of  morals  among  the  Mexi- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  57 

cans  seemed  to  warrant  the  poor  girl  in  becoming  his 
mistress  for  a  time,  but  he  subsequently  made  amends 
by  marrying  her  and  legitimatizing  the  two  fine  boys  she 
bore  him.  Many  years  passed  before  I  again  saw  or 
heard  of  Inez,  and  it  was  not  until  the  fall  of  1862,  that 
I  learned,  while  in  Tucson,  that  she  was  still  alive,  but 
quite  unwell.  Capt.,  Gomez  had  been  dead  some  years, 
and  she  was  again  married  to  the  Alcalde  of  Santa  Cruz, 
and  had  borne  him  two  children — a  boy  and  a  girl.  Hav 
ing  casually  learned  that  I  was  in  Tucson,  and  an  officer 
in  the  Union  Army,  she  dispatched  me  a  letter,  begging 
that  I  would  order  some  one  of  our  physicians  to  visit 
and  prescribe  for  her.  Of  course,  the  poor  girl,  in  her 
ignorance,  had  asked  what  it  was  impossible  to  grant, 
and  I  sadly  dismissed  the  subject  from  my  mind. 

In  1864,  it  was  again  my  lot  to  be  within  fifty  miles  of 
Santa  Cruz,  when  a  bold  Opatah  Indian  chief,  named 
Tanori,  who  had  been  commissioned  as  Colonel  by  Max 
imilian,  had  the  temerity  to  cross  our  frontier  with 
nearly  seven  hundred  men  and  fire  upon  the  people  of 
the  American  town  of  San  Gabriel,  located  two  miles 
north  of  the  dividing  line,  and  fourteen  miles  from  Santa 
Cruz.  The  excuse  for  this  outrage  was,  that  he  had  pur 
sued  the  Liberal  General,  Jesus  Garcia  Morales,  across 
our  lines,  and  that  he  had  not  transcended  his  duty  in  so 
doing.  Complaint  of  this  raid  having  been  made  to  me 
by  the  town  authorities  of  San  Gabriel,  I  immediately 
took  the  saddle,  with  one  hundred  and  forty  troopers, 
and  marched  straight  to  that  place.  Upon  my  arrival,  I 
obtained  affidavits  of  all  the  facts,  and,  having  received 
permission  from  the  acknowledged  authorities  of  Sonora, 
determined  to  pursue  Tanori  and  punish  that  gentleman 
for  his  audacious  conduct. 

He  had  retired  upon  Santa  Cruz,  whither  I  followed 


58  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

without  delay;  but,  hearing  of  our  approach,  he  has 
tened  forward  to  Imurez  with  wonderful  celerity,  and, 
although  the  Adjutant,  Lieut.  Coddington,  was  dis 
patched,  at  speed,  to  request  a  delay  on  his  part  so  that 
we  could  arrange  matters,  he  excused  himself  by  saying 
that  ' '  his  orders  were  imperative  to  reach  Ures  without 
delay/'  As  a  proof  with  what  rapidity  the  Mexican  in 
fantry  can  cover  the  ground  when  an  enemy  is  in  pur 
suit,  it  is  a  fact  that  Tanori,  with  over  six  hundred  men, 
mostly  infantry,  made  the  march  from  Santa  Cruz  to 
Imurez,  a  distance  of  forty-three  miles,  in  the  space  of 
nine  hours.  He  left  Santa  Cruz  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  I  subsequently  learned  that  he  conversed 
with  the  party  from  whom  I  Deceived  my  information,  in 
the  town  of  Imurez,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  same  day.  About  three  hundred  of  his  men  were 
there  with  him  at  the  time  mentioned. 

My  trip  to  Santa  Cruz  offered  me  the  opportunity  to 
visit  Inez,  whom  I  found  to  be  the  respected  wife  of  the 
chief  and  most  influential  man  in  that  little  community. 
She  has  an  affectionate  husband,  who  is  by  no  means 
cramped  for  this  world's  goods;  is  surrounded  by  a  fine 
and  promising  family  of  three  boys  and  a  girl,  and  is  uni 
versally  esteemed  for  her  many  excellent  qualities.  It 
is  needless  to  state  that  my  reception  was  most  cordial 
and  enthusiastic.  This  sequel  of  her  history  will  un 
doubtedly  be  received  with  sincere  pleasure  by  all  who 
were  members  of  Mr.  Bartlett's  Commission,  and  by  none 
with  more  interest  than  Mr.  Bartlett  and  Dr.  "Webb. 


CHAP  TEE   VI. 

Rescue  of  Two  Mexican  Boys. — War  Talk. — Exciting  Scene. — Peaceful  Termina 
tion. —  Large  Indian  Forces.  —  An  Apache  lulled  by  a  Mexican.  —  Intense 
Excitement.  —  Fearless  Conductor  Col.  Craig. —  The  Apaches  Pacified.— 
Another  War  Talk.  —  Amicable  Kesult.  —  Necessity  of  Firmness  and  Pre 
caution. 

IT  lias  already  been  stated  that  my  tent  was  pitched 
several  hundred  yards  from  the  rest  of  the  Commission, 
and  hidden  from  the  view  of  my  companions  by  an  in 
tervening  hillock.  This  fact  rendered  me  far  more  cau 
tious  than  I  otherwise  would  have  been.  Several  days 
subsequent  to  the  rescue  of  Inez,  the  afternoon  being 
exceedingly  hot  and  sultry,  I  was  lying  on  my  cot  read 
ing  a  work  borrowed  from  Dr.  "Webb,  while  Joso  was 
busy  in  front  of  the  tent,  washing  some  clothes  in  the 
pool.  A  very  large  number  of  Apaches  were  in  our  camp 
that  clay,  but  had  not  disturbed  me,  as  was  their  usual 
custom.  Suddenly,  two  boys,  evidently  Mexicans,  darted 
into  my  tent,  got  under  my  cot,  and  concealed  them 
selves  between  the  side  of  the  tent  and  the  drooping 
blankets.  This  visitation,  in  such  an  abrupt  and  irregu 
lar  manner,  excited  my  surprise,  and  I  asked  who  they 
were  and  what  they  wanted.  ee  Somos  Mejicanos,  cabal- 
lero,  y  estamos  cautivos  con  los  Apaches,  y  nos  hemos  escon- 
dido  aqui  para  escaparles.  Por  Dios  no  nos  rinde  otra 
vez  entre  ellos,"  which  means  in  English — "We  are  Mex 
icans,  sir,  and  we  are  captives  among  the  Apaches,  and 
we  have  hidden  here  to  escape  them.  For  God's  sake, 
do  not  deliver  us  again  among  them." 


60  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

I  called  to  Jos3,  and  asked:  "Are  there  any  Indians 
close  by." 

"No,  sir,"  he  replied,  "but  they  are  coming  this 
way." 

I  instantly  jumped  from  the  cot,  thrust  two  six-shoot 
ers  in  my  belt,  took  two  more  in  my  hands,  one  in  each, 
ordered  Josd  to  sling  the  carbine  over  his  shoulder  and 
carry  the  double-barreled  gun  in  his  hands,  and  telling 
,the  boys  to  keep  close  to  my  side — one  on  the  right  and 
the  other  on  the  left — I  sallied  from  the  tent  with  the  de 
termination  to  take  these  captives  to  the  Commissioner, 
for  his  disposal. 

We  had  not  proceeded  twenty  yards  before  a  band  of 
some  thirty  or  forty  surrounded  us,  and  with  menacing 
words  ,and  gestures,  demanded  the  instant  release  of 
their  captives;  but,  having  made  up  my  mind,  I  was  de 
termined  to  carry  out  my  intention  at  all  risks.  I  told 
Joso  to  place  his  back  to  mine,  cock  his  gun  and  shoot 
the  first  Indian  he  saw  bend  his  bow  or  give  sign  of  ac 
tive  hostility;  while,  with  a  cocked  pistol  in  each  hand, 
we  went  circling  round,  so  as  to  face  all  parts  of  the  ring 
in  succession,  at  the  same  time  warning  the  savages  to 
keep  their  distance.  In  this  manner  we  accomplished 
about  two  hundred  yards,  when  my  situation  was  per 
ceived  by  several  gentlemen  of  the  Commission,  and, 
drawing  their  pistols,  they  advanced  to  my  aid.  The 
Indians  relinguished  their  attempts  and  accompanied  us 
peaceably  to  the  Commissioner,  to  whom  I  surrendered 
the  boys  and  detailed  the  aifair.  The  boys  were  respect 
ively  named  Savero  Aredia  and  Josd  Trinfan,  the  former 
aged  thirteen,  and  a  native  of  Bacuachi,  in  Sonora,  and 
the  latter  aged  about  eleven,  and  a  native  of  Fronteras, 
in  the  same  State.  The  next  day  at  night,  Mr.  Bartlett 
sent  them  to  the  camp  of  Gen.  Garcia  Conde,  the  Mexi- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  61 

can  Commissioner.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  strong 
guard,  which  delivered  them  safely  to  the  General,  who 
subsequently  restored  them  to  their  respective  families, 
much  to  their  wonder  and  gratification. 

Four  or  five  days  afterward,  Mangas  Colorado,  Ponce, 
Delgadito,  Cuchillo  Negro,  Coletto  Amarillo,  and  some 
two  hundred  warriors,  together  with  the  fellow  who 
claimed  the  boys,  entered  the  Copper  Mines,  to  have  a 
"  big  talk."  Mr.  Bartlett  was  not  at  all  displeased  to  see 
them,  and  determined  to  settle  the  matter  at  once.  The 
mass  of  Indians  formed  themselves  in  a  semicircle,  two 
and  three  deep,  facing  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  the 
talk  was  had,  while  the  principal  men  and  about  a  dozen 
of  the  Commission,  well  armed,  occupied  a  large  room 
in  our  adobe  building.  Pipes  and  tobacco  were  handed 
round  and  a  "cloud  blown"  before  the  real  business  of 
the  seance  commenced.  About  a  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  Commission  were  near  at  hand  with  their  arms  ready. 
After  a  long  and  profound  silence,  the  conversation  was 
commenced  by  Mangas  Colorado,  on  the  part  of  the 
Apaches,  and  by  myself,  on  the  part  of  the  Americans, 
every  expression  of  the  savages  being  taken  down  in 
writing,  and  then  translated  to  Mr.  Bartlett,  who  dic 
tated  a  reply,  if  anything  important  occurred  to  him,  or 
allowed  the  interpreter  to  respond,  as  the  circumstances 
would  permit.  As  the  succeeding  recital  of  the  interview 
was  originally  written  out  in  full  by  myself,  and  handed 
to  Mr.  Bartlett  as  the  official  record,  and  subsequently 
published  by  him  without  alteration,  I  deem  myself  jus 
tified  in  making  use  of  it  for  this  work. 

Mangas  Colorado  spoke  and  said:  "Why  did  you  take 
our  captives  from  us ?" 

Reply. — "Your  captives  came  to  us  and  demanded  our 
protection." 
4 


62  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

Mangos  Colorado. — "You  came  to  our  country.  You 
were  well  received.  Your  lives,  your  property,  your  an 
imals  were  safe.  You  passed  by  ones,  by  twos,  by  threes 
through  our  country.  You  went  and  came  in  peace. 
Your  strayed  animals  were  always  brought  home  to  you 
again.  Our  wives,  our  women  and  children  came  here 
and  visited  your  houses.  We  were  friends — we  were 
brothers!  Believing  this,  we  came  among  you  and 
brought  our  captives,  relying  on  it  that  we  were  brothers 
and  that  you  would  feel  as  we  feel.  We  concealed  noth 
ing.  We  came  not  secretly  nor  in  the  night.  We  came 
in  open  day,  and  before  your  faces,  and  showed  our  cap 
tives  to  you.  We  believed  your  assurances  of  friendship, 
and  we  trusted  them.  Why  did  you  take  our  captives 
from  us  ?" 

Reply. — "What  we  have  said  to  you  is  true.  We  do 
not  tell  lies.  The  greatness  and  dignity  of  our  nation 
forbid  our  doing  so  mean  a  thing.  What  our  brother 
has  said  is  true  and  good  also.  We  will  now  tell  him 
why  we  took  his  captives  away.  Four  years  ago,  we,  too, 
were  at  war  with  Mexico.  We  know  that  the  Apaches 
make  a  distinction  between  Chihuahua  and  So-nora. 
They  are  now  at  peace  with  Chihuahua,  but  at  war  with 
Sonora.  We,  in  our  war,  did  not  make  that  distinction. 
The  Mexicans,  whether  living  in  one  or  the  other  State, 
are  all  one  nation,  and  we  fought  them  as  a  nation. 
When  the  war  was  over,  in  which  we  conquered,  we  made 
peace  with  them.  They  are  now  our  friends,  and  by  the 
terms  of  the  peace  we  are  bound  to  protect  them.  We 
told  you  this  when  we  first  came  here,  and  requested  you 
to  cease  from  hostility  against  Mexico.  Time  passed', 
and  we  grew  very  friendly;  everything  went  well.  You 
came  in  here  with  your  captives.  Who  were  those  cap 
tives?  Mexicans;  the  very  people  we  told  you  we  were 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  63 

bound  to  protect.  We  took  them  from  you  and  sent 
them  to  Gen.  Garcia  Conde,  who  will  set  them  at  liberty 
in  their  own  country.  We  mean  to  show  you  that  we 
cannot  lie.  We  promised  protection  to  the  Mexicans, 
and  we  gave  it  to  them.  We  promise  friendship  and 
protection  to  you,  and  we  will  give  them  to  you.  If  we 
had  not  done  so  to  Mexico,  you  would  not  believe  us 
with  regard  to  yourselves.  We  cannot  lie." 

During  the  above  conversation,  which  was  carried  on 
in  a  slow  and  dignified  manner,  Ponce  was  becoming 
very  much  excited,  altogether  too  much  so  for  an  Indian, 
and  being  unable  to  restrain  himself  any  longer,  he 
arose,  and,  with  many  gesticulations,  said: 

Ponce. — "Yes,  but  you  took  our  captives  without  be 
forehand  cautioning  us.  We  were  ignorant  of  this  prom 
ise  to  restore  captives.  They  were  made  prisoners  in 
lawful  warfare.  They  belong  to  us.  They  are  our  prop 
erty.  Our  people  have  also  been  made  captives  by  Mex 
icans.  If  we  had  known  of  this  thing,  we  would  not  have 
come  here.  We  would  not  have  placed  that  confidence 
in  you." 

Reply. — "Our  brother  speaks  in  anger,  and  without 
reflection.  Boys  and  women  lose  their  temper,  but  men 
reflect  and  argue;  and  he  who  has  reason  and  justice  on 
his  side,  wins.  No  doubt,  you  have  suffered  much  by 
the  Mexicans.  This  is  a  question  in  which  it  is  impossi 
ble  for  us  to  tell  who  is  wrong,  or  who  is  right.  You 
and  the  Mexicans  accuse  each  other  of  being  the  aggres 
sors.  Our  duty  is  to  fulfill  our  promise  to  both.  This 
opportunity  enables  us  to  show  to  Mexico  that  we  mean 
what  we  say,  and  when  the  time  comes,  we  will  be  ready 
and  prompt  to  prove  the  good  faith  of  our  promises  to 
you." 

Ponce. — "I  am  neither  a  boy  nor  a  squaw.     lama 


64  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

man  and  a  brave.  I  speak  with  reflection.  I  know  what 
I  say.  I  speak  of  the  wrongs  we  have  suffered  and  those 
you  now  do  us."  Then,  placing  his  hand  on  my  shoulder, 
he  said  in  a  very  excited  manner — "You  must  not  speak 
any  more.  Let  some  one  else  speak." 

As  this  was  rather  more  than  I  had  bargained  for,  I 
Immediately  placed  both  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and, 
crushing  him  down  on  the  floor,  I  said : 

' '  I  want  you  to  understand  that  /  am  the  veiy  one  to 
speak — the  only  one  who  can  speak  to  you.  Now,  stay 
there.  Do  you  sit  down.  You  are  a  squaw  and  no 
brave.  I  will  select  a  man  to  speak  for  the  Apaches. 
Delgadito  (beckoning  to  that  warrior)  do  you  come  here 
and  speak  for  your  nation." 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  smothered  rage  of 
Ponce,  but  he  saw  there  was  no  chance,  and  never  again 
uttered  a  word  during  the  session. 

Delgadito  then  arose  and  said :  ' '  Let  my  brother  de 
clare  the  mind  of  his  people." 

Reply. — "We  wish  to  explain  to  our  Apache  brethren 
why  we  have  done  this  thing,  and  what  we  can  do  for 
the  late  owner  of  those  captives.  We  know  that  you 
have  not  acted  secretly  or  in  the  dark.  You  came  in 
open  day,  and  brought  your  captives  among  us.  We 
took  them  in  open  day,  in  obedience  to  orders  from  our 
great  chief  at  Washington.  The  great  chief  of  our  na 
tion  said :  '  You  must  take  all  the  Mexican  captives  you 
meet  among  the  Apaches  and  set  them  at  liberty.'  We 
cannot  disobey  this  order,  and  for  this  reason  we  have 
taken  away  your  captives." 

Delgadito. — "We  cannot  doubt  the  words  of  our  brave 
white  brethren.  The  Americans  are  braves.  We  know 
it,  and  we  believe  a  brave  scorns  to  lie.  But  the  owner 
of  these  captives  is  poor.  He  cannot  lose  his  prisoners, 


LIFE   AMOXG  THE    APACHES.  65 

who  were  obtained  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  and  purchased 
by  the  blood  of  his  relatives.  He  justly  demands  his 
captives.  We  are  his  friends,  and  wish  to  see  this  de 
mand  complied  with.  It  is  just,  and  as  justice  we  de 
mand  it." 

Reply. — "We  will  tell  our  Apache  brethren  what  can 
be  done.  The  captives  cannot  be  restored.  The  Com 
missioner  cannot  buy  them.  No  American  can  buy  them ; 
but  there  is  a  Mexican  in  our  employ  who  is  anxious  to 
buy  and  restore  them  to  their  homes.  We  have  no  ob 
jection  that  he  should  do  so;  and  if  he  is  not  rich  enough" 
some  of  us  will  lend  him  the  means." 

Delgadito. — "The  owner  does  not  wish  to  sell;  he 
wants  his  captives." 

Eeply. — "  Our  brother  has  already  been  told  that  this 
cannot  be.  We  do  not  speak  with  two  tongues.  Make 
up  your  minds." 

A  short  consultation  was  then  held  among  the  leading 
Apaches,  after  which  Delgadito  said:  "  The  owner  wants 
twenty  horses  for  them." 

Reply. — "The  Apache  laughs  at  his  white  brother.  He 
thinks  him  a  squaw,  and  that  he  can  play  with  him  as 
with  an  arrow.  Let  the  Apache  say  again." 

Delgadito. — "The  brave  who  owns  these  captives  does, 
not  want  to  sell.  He  has  had  one  of  these  boys  six  years. 
He  grew  up  under  him.  His  heart-strings  are  bound 
around  him.  He  is  as  a  son  to  his  old  age.  He  speaks 
our  language,  and  he  cannot  sell  him.  Money  cannot 
buy  affection.  His  heart  cannot  be  sold.  He  taught 
him  to  string  the  bow  and  wield  the  lance.  He  loves  the 
boy  and  cannot  sell  him." 

Reply. — "We  are  sorry  that  this  thing  should  be.  We 
feel  for  our  Apache  brother,  and  would  like  to  lighten 
his  heart.  But  it  is  not  our  fault.  Our  brother  has  fixed 


66  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

his  affection  on  the  child  of  his  enemy.  It  is  very  noble. 
But  our  duty  is  stern.  "We  cannot  avoid  it.  It  wounds 
our  hearts  to  hurt  our  friends;  but  if  they  were  our  own 
children,  and  the  duty  of  the  law  said:  '  Part  with  them; 
part  with  them/  we  would.  Let  our  Apache  brother  re 
flect,  and  name  his  price." 

Delgadito.—tt'Wh&i  will  you  give?" 

To  which  Mr.  Bartlett  replied:  "  Come  and  I  will  show 
you." 

The  whole  conclave  then  broke  up  and  adjourned  to 
the^  Commissary's  stores,  where  goods,  such  as  calicoes, 
blankets  and  sheetings,  to  the  value  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  were  laid  out  for  their  acceptance.  This  was 
more  than  Apache  cupidity  could  stand;  the  bargain  was 
soon  closed,  and  the  affair  passed  away  in  peace.  But  it 
was  never  forgotten,  and  I  felt  positive  that  the  time 
would  come  when  they  would  endeavor  to  wreak  their  ill- 
concealed  vengeance.  My  expectations  were  justified  by 
the  result,  for  they  ultimately  stole  nearly  two  hundred 
head  of  animals  from  the  Commission. 

At  this  period  the  band  of  Mangas  Colorado,  number 
ing  some  three  hundred  warriors,  remained  encamped 
about  four  miles  distant,  while  that  of  Delgadito,  num 
bering  nearly  as  many,  occupied  the  valley  of  the  Mim- 
bres  river,  eighteen  miles  off.  At  the  same  time  four 
hundred  Navajoes  occupied  the  banks  of  the  Gila,  distant 
twenty-eight  miles.  We  were  thus  placed  between  three 
large  Indian  forces,  but  took  no  notice  of  the  fact,  con 
tinuing  our  hunting  excursions  in  twos  and  threes  with 
as  much  apparent  indifference  as  ever,  and  adopting  the 
precaution  of  taking  our  six-shooters  and  plenty  of  am 
munition,  as  well  as  our  rifles. 

On  the  6th  of  July,  a  Mexican,  named  Jesus  Lopez,  in 
the  employ  of  the  Commission,  had  a  dispute  with  an 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  67 

Apache,  which  terminated  by  the  Mexican  shooting  his 
savage  friend.  Large  numbers  of  Apaches,  including 
Mangas  Colorado  and  several  prominent  men,  were  in 
our  camp  at  the  time,  but  in  a  moment  they  mounted 
their  active  ponies  and  were  fleeing  in  all  directions.  Col. 
Craig  called  upon  me  to  follow  him,  and  we  rushed  out 
and  up  the  hills  after  the  Apaches,  telling  them  not  to 
go,  that  we  were  friends,  that  the  murderer  was  already 
a  prisoner,  and  that  full  justice  would  be  done  them. 
Affcer  many  persuasions,  we  induced  them  to  calm  their 
fears  and  come  back.  The  prisoner  was  shown  them 
with  chains  on  his  feet  in  care  of  the  guard;  while  the 
wounded  man  was  taken  to  the  hospital  and  accorded 
every  assistance.  He  lingered  for  a  month  and  then 
died,  surrounded  by  his  friends,  who  had  been  witnesses 
to  the  care  bestowed  upon  him.  This  affair  brought  on 
another  talk,  which  took  place  a  few  days  after  his  burial, 
which  was  performed  by  his  own  people  in  secret,  having 
declined  the  offer  of  a  coffin  and  sepulture  at  our  hands. 

A  large  body  of  Apaches  had  congregated  to  hear  the 
talk,  and  they  were  evidently  determined  to  have  the 
best  of  it  on  this  occasion.  They  had  made  up  their 
minds  to  have  the  blood  of  the  slayer,  and  had  they  suc 
ceeded  would  have  attributed  their  triumph  to  fear  on 
our  part.  Mr.  Bartlett  was  quite  as  determined  that 
American  law  only  should  have  weight,  and  I  was  pre 
pared  for  a  lively  scene.  On  that  day  the  Commissary's 
and  Sutler's  stores  were  closed,  and  every  man  of  us 
stood  ready  for  active  duty  at  a  moment's  warning.  The 
smoking  process  over,  the  Apaches  were  addressed  as  fol 
lows,  the  same  rules  being  observed  as  on  the  former 
occasion. 

Commissioner. — "I  feel  sad,  as  well  as  all  the  Ameri 
cans  here,  and  sympathize  with  our  Apache  brothers  for 


68  LIFE    AMOXG   THE   APACHES. 

the  death  of  one  of  their  braves.  "We  are  all  friends. 
The  dead  man  was  our  friend,  and  we  regret  his  loss.  I 
know  that  he  committed  no  offence;  that  he  even  did  not 
provoke  the  attack  upon  him.  But  our  Apache  brethren 
must  remember  that  it  was  not  by  the  hand  of  an  Amer 
ican  he  died.  It  was  by  that  of  a  Mexican,  though  em 
ployed  by  the  Commissioner.  For  this  reason  it  is  my 
duty  to  see  justice  done  you,  and  the  murderer  pun 
ished.  I  am  here  in  command  of  the  party  engaged  in 
tracing  the  dividing  line  between  the  United  States — the 
country  of  the  Americans — and  Mexico.  I  have  fully 
explained  this  to  you  before,  and  you  now  understand 
it.  Beyond  this  I  have  no  powers.  The  great  chief  of 
the  Americans  lives  far,  very  far,  toward  the  rising  sun. 
From  him  I  received  my  orders,  and  those  orders  I  must 
obey.  I  cannot  interfere  in  punishing  any  man,  whether 
an  Indian,  a  Mexican,  or  an  American.  There  is  another 
great  chief  who  lives  at  Santa  Fe.  He  is  the  Governor 
of  all  New  Mexico.  This  great  chief  administers  the 
laws  of  the  Americans.  He  alone  can  inflict  punishment 
when  a  man  has  been  found  guilty.  To  this  great  chief 
I  will  send  the  murderer  of  our  Apache  brother.  He 
will  try  him,  and  if  found  guilty,  will  have  him  punished 
according  to  American  laws.  This  is  all  I  can  do.  Such 
is  the  disposition  I  will  make  of  this  man.  It  is  all  I 
have  a  right  to  do." 

To  my  surprise,  Ponce  arose  to  reply;  he  said:  "This 
is  all  very  good.  The  Apaches  know  that  the  Americans 
are  their  friends.  The  Apaches  believe  what  the  Ameri 
cans  say  is  true.  They  know  that  the  Americans  do  not 
speak  with  two  tongues.  They  know  that  you  have  never 
told  them  a  lie.  They  know  that  you  will  do  what  you 
say.  But  the  Apaches  will  not  be  satisfied  to  hear  that 
the  murderer  has  been  punished  in  Santa  Fe.  They 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  69 

want  him  punished  here,  at  the  Copper  Mines,  where  the 
band  of  the  dead  brave  may  see  him  put  to  death — where 
all  the  Apaches  may  see  him  put  to  death.  (Here  Ponce 
made  the  sign  of  suspending  by  the  neck.)  Then  the 
Apaches  will  see  and  know  that  their  American  brothers 
do  justice  to  them." 

Commissioner. — "I  will  propose  another  plan  to  the 
Apaches.  It  is  to  keep  the  murderer  in  chains,  as  you 
now  see  him;  to  make  him  work,  and  give  all  he  earns  to 
the  wife  and  family  of  your  dead  brave.  This  I  will  see 
paid  in  blankets,  in  cotton  cloth,  in  corn,  in  money,  or 
anything  else  the  family  may  like.  I  will  give  them  all 
that  is  now  due  to  the  man,  and  at  the  end  of  every 
month  I  will  give  the.m  twenty  dollars  in  goods  or  in 
money.  When  the  cold  season  comes,  these  women  and 
children  will  come  in  and  receive  their  blankets  and 
cloth  to  keep  them  warm,  and  corn  to  satisfy  their  hun 
ger." 

Ponce. — "You  speak  well.  Your  promises  are  good. 
But  money  will  not  satisfy  an  Apache  for  the  blood  of  a 
brave !  Thousands  will  not  drown  the  grief  of  this  poor 
woman  for  the  loss  of  her  son.  Would  money  satisfy  an 
American  for  the  murder  of  his  people  ?  Would  money 
pay  you,  Senor  Commissioner,  for  the  loss  of  your  child? 
No;  money  will  not  bury  your  grief.  It  will  not  bury 
ours.  The  mother  of  the  dead  brave  demands  the  life 
of  his  murderer.  Nothing  else  will  satisfy  her.  She 
wants  no  money.  She  wants  no  goods.  She  wants  no 
corn.  Would  money  satisfy  me  (striking  his  breast)  for 
the  death  of  my  son  ?  No !  I  would  demand  the  blood  of 
the  murderer.  Then  I  would  be  satisfied.  Then  I  would 
be  willing  to  die  myself.  I  would  not  wish  to  live  and 
feel  the  grief  which  the  loss  of  my  son  would  cause  me." 

Reply. — "Your  words  are  good.  You  speak  with  the 
4* 


70  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

heart  of  feeling.  I  feel  as  you  do.  All  the  Americans 
feel  as  you  do.  Our  hearts  are  sad  at  your  loss.  We 
mourn  with  this  poor  woman.  We  will  do  all  we  can  to 
assist  her  and  her  family.  I  know  that  neither  money  nor 
goods  will  pay  for  her  loss.  I  do  not  want  the  Apaches, 
my  brothers,  so  to  consider  it.  What  I  propose  is  for 
the  good  of  this  family.  My  wish  is,  to  make  them  com 
fortable.  I  desire  to  give  them  the  aid  of  which  they  are 
deprived  by  the  loss  of  their  protector.  If  the  prisoner's 
life  is  taken,  your  desire  for  revenge  is  satisfied.  Law  and 
justice  are  satisfied;  but  this  poor  woman  gets  nothing. 
She  and  her  family  remain  poor.  They  have  no  one  to 
labor  for  them.  Will  it  not  be  better  to  provide  for 
their  wants?" 

A  short  interchange  of  opinions  occurred  at  this  period 
of  the  proceedings,  and  the  mother  of  the  murdered  man 
was  called  on  for  her  decision.  Acting  under  the  influ 
ence  of  the  leading  warriors,  whose  object  is  stated  at 
the  opening  of  this  chapter,  she  vehemently  demanded 
the  blood  of  her  son's  slayer,  and  stated  her  determina 
tion  to  be  satisfied  with  nothing  else.  In  accordance 
with  this  decision  Ponce  resumed  and  said : 

1  'If  an  Apache  should  take  the  life  of  an  American, 
would  you  not  make  war  on  us  and  take  many  Apache 
lives  ?  " 

Eeply. — "No;  I  would  demand  the  arrest  of  the  mur 
derer,  and  would  be  satisfied  to  have  him  punished  as 
the  Apaches  punish  those  who  commit  murder.  Did  not 
a  band  of  Apaches  attack  a  small  party  of  Americans, 
very  recently,  on  the  Janos  road?  Did  they  not  kill  one 
of  them  and  wound  three  others  with  their  arrows  ?  And 
did  they  not  take  from  them  all  their  property  ?  You  all 
know  this  to  be  true,  and  I  know  it  to  be  true.  I  passed 
near  the  spot  where  it  took  place,  three  days  afterward. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  71 

The  Apaches  did  not  even  bury  their  victim.  They  left 
him  lying  by  the  wayside,  food  for  the  crows  and  the 
wolves.  Why  do  not  these  Americans  revenge  them 
selves  on  you  for  this  act?  They  are  strong  enough. 
They  have  many  warriors,  and  in  a  few  days  can  bring 
a  thousand  more  here.  But  there  would  be  no  justice 
in  that.  The  Americans  believe  this  murder  was  com 
mitted  by  your  bad  men — by  cowards.  The  Apaches 
have  bad  men  among  them;  but  you  who  are  now  among 
us  are  our  friends,  and  we  will  not  demand  redress  of 
you.  Yet,  as  I  told  you  before,  you  must  endeavor  to 
find  the  men  who  killed  our  brother,  and  punish  them. 
Our  animals  feed  in  your  valleys.  Some  of  your  bad 
men  might  steal  them,  as  they  have  already  done;  but 
the  Americans  would  not  make  war  on  you  for  this.  We 
hold  you  responsible,  and  shall  call  on  you  to  find  them 
and  bring  them  back,  as  you  have  done.  While  the 
Apaches  continue  to  do  this,  the  Americans  will  be  their 
friends  and  their  brothers.  But  if  the  Apaches  take  our 
property  and  do  not  restore  it,  they  can  no  longer  be  the 
friends  of  the  Americans.  War  will  then  follow;  thou 
sands  of  soldiers  will  take  possession  of  your  lands,  your 
grazing  valleys,  and  your  watering  places.  They  will 
destroy  every  Apache  warrior  they  find,  and  take  your 
women  and  children  captives." 

This  rather  menacing  speech,  with  the  firmness  and 
determination  evinced,  brought  our  copper  colored  and 
belligerent  visitors  to  a  proper  sense  of  the  case,  and 
after  considerable  "pow-wow"  among  themselves,  the 
mother  of  the  deceased  agreed  to  leave  the  punishment 
of  the  murderer  to  the  determination  of  our  own  laws, 
and  to  receive  as  equivalent  for  his  loss  all  the  money 
due  the  prisoner,  and  twenty  dollars  a  month,  the  amount 
of  his  wages,  while  we  remained  at  the  Copper  Mines. 


72  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

During  the  foregoing  talk  I  learned  the  important  fact, 
that  coolness  and  quiet  determination  will  almost  always 
overawe  and  subdue  an  Indian,  provided  the  right  is  on 
your  side.  But  however  much  he  may  yield,  one  may 
make  sure  that  he  will  seize  the  first  favorable  opportunity 
to  "get  even."  Should  such  an  opportunity  never  occur, 
it  becomes  his  cherished  object  to  wreak  his  vengeance 
on  the  next  comer,  entirely  regardless  of  his  antecedents. 
For  this  reason  the  utmost  caution  is  always  necessary; 
because,  although  one  may  feel  wholly  guiltless  of  act  or 
intention  against  the  savages,  he  is  held  strictly  respon 
sible  by  them  for  the  acts  and  intentions  of  his  prede 
cessors. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


Jornada  del  Mucrto.  —  Socorro.  —  Lieut.  Campbell.  —  Terrific  Ride  for  Life.  — 
Splendid  Horse.  —  Narrow  Escape.  —  Caring  for  a  Horse.  — Apache  Visits. 
—  Treacherous  Nature. 


SOME  time  after  the  events  above  recorded,  it  became 
necessary  for  me  to  visit  the  town  of  Socorro,  in  New 
Mexico,  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  the  purchase  of 
sheep.  It  was  niy  most  excellent  fortune  to  possess  a 
horse  whose  equal  I  have  never  seen.  "With  high  cour 
age  and  almost  fabulous  powers  of  endurance;  strong, 
swift  and  handsome,  I  had  made  him  a  special  pet,  and 
nobly  did  he  answer  my  appeal  when  occasion  demanded. 

At  that  time  Fort  Craig  had  no  existence,  and  the 
space  between  Dona  Ana  and  Socorro — a  distance  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  miles — is  a  large  desert,  well 
supplied  with  fine  grama  grass  in  some  portions,  but  ab 
solutely  destitute  of  water  or  shade  for  ninety-six  miles. 
This  intervening  strip  of  territory  is  known  by  the  unat 
tractive  appellation  of  the  Jornada  del  Muerto,  or  the 
Dead  Man's  Journey.  Why  it  ever  received  this  title  I 
never  distinctly  learned,  but  suppose  it  was  on  account 
of  the  very  numerous  massacres  committed  on  it  by  the 
Apache  Indians.  On  the  east  the  road  is  fringed  for 
about  sixty  miles  by  the  Sierra  Blanca,  a  noted  strong 
hold  of  that  people;  and  from  its  heights  they  are  ena 
bled  distinctly  to  perceive  any  party  of  travelers  coming- 
over  the  wide  and  unsheltered  expanse  of  the  Jornada  del 
Mnerto.  As  the  plain  affords  no  opportunity  for  ambush, 


74  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

they  come  sweeping  upon  the  unsuspecting  immigrant  in 
more  than  usual  numbers,  and  if  successful  in  their  at 
tack,  invariabty  destroy  all  of  -the  party;  for  there  is  no 
possible  chance  of  escape,  and  the  Apaches  never  take 
any  prisoners  but  women  and  young  children,  and  they 
become  captives  for  life. 

At  Socorro  was  a  small  American  garrison,  consisting 
of  about  half  a  company  of  the  Second  Dragoons,  com 
manded  by  Lieut.  Reuben  Campbell,  an  officer  whose 
acquaintance  I  had  made  during  the  Mexican  war,  and 
for  whom  I  entertained  a  sincere  regard. 

I  left  Dona  Ana  about  three  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  traveled 
leisurely  until  four  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  unsaddled 
my  horse,  staked  him  to  a  strong  picket  pin  planted  in  a 
field  of  fine  grass,  and  laid  down  under  the  lee  side  of  a 
cactus  to  catch  a  modicum  of  shade.  At  twelve,  mid 
night,  I  resumed  my  journey,  and  reached  Socorro  next 
day  about  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  having  traveled  during 
the  cool  of  the  night  at  a  much  more  rapid  pace.  Dur 
ing  the  trip  I  neither  saw  an  Indian  nor  an  Indian  sign; 
and  here  let  me  add  that  the  Apaches  of  the  Jornada,  or 
more  properly  the  Mescalero  Apaches,  were  at  the  time 
in  a  state  of  active  hostility. 

Most  pleasantly  did  I  pass  two  days  with  Lieut.  Camp 
bell,  rehearsing  scenes  and  incidents  of  the  Mexican  war, 
and  each  metaphorically  "shouldering  his  crutch  to  show 
how  fields  were  won."  Having  refreshed  myself  and 
rested  my  noble  horse,  I  took  leave  of  Campbell  on  the 
morning  of  the  third  day,  at  three  o'clock,  when  we  took 
the  doch  and  dorrish  with  mutual  wishes  for  each  other's 
welfare. 

My  trip  up  had  been  unaccompanied  by  any  event  of 
interest,  and  I  sincerely  hoped  that  my  journey  down 
would  be  equally  tame  and  spiritless;  but  this  was  not  to 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  75 

be.  I  saved  my  noble  beast  all  I  could,  frequently  dis 
mounting  and  leading  him  by  the  bridle,  so  as  to  retain 
his  strength  and  speed  in  case  of  necessity.  In  this  way 
we  jogged  on  until  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
by  which  time  we  had  accomplished  about  fifty  miles, 
leaving  some  seventy-five  yet  to  go.  The  sun  was  in 
tensely  oppressive,  and  glared  like  a  shield  of  red-hot 
brass.  A  friendly  bush,  surrounded  with  fine  grass,  and 
standing  about  one  hundred  yards  to  the  left  of  the  hard 
and  splendid  natural  road  which  runs  through  four-fifths 
of  the  Jornada,  invited  me  to  partake  of  its  modest  shade, 
and  I  turned  my  horse  in  that  direction,  but  was  sur 
prised  at  noticing  a  column  of  dust  to  my  left,  in  the  di 
rection  of  the  Sierra  Blanca,  which  had  the  appearance 
of  being  in  violent  motion,  and  coming  my  way.  In 
stinctively  I  felt  that  it  was  caused  by  Apaches;  and  I 
took  the  precaution  to  tighten  my  horse's  girths,  see  that 
the  saddle  was  properly  placed  and  re-cap  my  four  six- 
shooters,  two  of  which  were  in  my  belt,  and  two  in  my 
holsters.  I  also  untied  a  Mexican  serape,  or  blanket, 
which  was  lashed  to  the  after  part  of  my  saddle,  and 
doubling  it,  I  passed  it  over  my  shoulders  and  tied  it 
under  my  chin  by  a  stout  buckskin  thong.  By  this  time 
the  character  of  the  coming  party  was  unmistakable,  and 
they  were  evidently  bent  on  cutting  me  off  from  the  road. 
My  gallant  horse  seemed  to  appreciate  the  condition  of 
affairs  almost  as  well  as  I,  and  bounded  on  like  a  bird. 
The  pursuing  party  failed  in  their  first  attempt  and  en 
tered  the  road  about  three  hundred  }rards  in  my  rear. 
Perceiving  that  my  horse  was  infinitely  superior  in  speed 
and  power,  I  drew  rein  to  save  him  all  that  I  could,  and 
allowed  the  Indians  to  come  within  fifty  yards.  There 
were  some  forty  of  them,  and  none  with  fire-arms,  but 
mainly  supplied  with  lances,  only  five  or  six  of  the  num- 


76  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

ber  carrying  bows  and  arrows.  These  last  named  pro 
jectiles  commenced  to  whistle  near  me;  but  I  paid  no 
heed,  keeping  steadily  on  my  course,  until  one  pene 
trated  my  blanket;  but  the  effect  was  completely  de 
stroyed  by  the  fluttering  of  its  heavy  double  folds,  which 
were  kept  in  a  rattling  motion  by  the  speed  at  which  we 
were  going.  Perceiving  that  the  force  of  the  arrow  had 
been  neutralized,  I  drew  a  heavy  holster  pistol,  and 
wheeling  half  round  in  my  saddle,  pointed  it  at  the  sav 
ages.  This  caused  them  to  fall  back  in  some  alarm,  and 
I  took  advantage  of  that  fact  to  redouble  my  speed  for  a 
mile  or  so,  gaining  some  six  hundred  yards  on  my  pur 
suers,  when  I  again  drew  rein  to  save  my  horse. 

It  required  a  long  time  for  them  to  again  recover  shoot 
ing  distance,  but  their  yells  and  cries  were  perpetual. 
In  this  manner,  alternately  checking  and  speeding  my 
horse,  and  ^presenting  my  pistol  at  the  savages,  we 
scoured  over  many  miles  of  that  infernal  Jornada.  Sev 
eral  arrows  were  sticking  in  my  blanket;  one  had  grazed 
rny  right  arm,  just  bringing  blood,  and  the  other  had 
touched  my  left  thigh.  I  then  became  convinced  that 
my  horse  was  the  main  object  of  their  pursuit.  His 
value  and  unequaled  qualities  were  well  known  to  the 
Apaches,  and  they  resolved  to  have  him,  if  possible.  Of 
course,  my  life  would  have  been  sacrificed,  if  they  could 
only  manage  that  little  affair.  I  had  bought  the  horse 
of  Capt.  A.  Buford,  First  United  States  Dragoons,  who 
assured  me  that  his  equal  did  not  exist  in  the  Territory. 
He  had  been  offered  a  hundred  mustangs  for  the  horse 
by  a  Mescalero  Apache,  but  refused,  on  the  ground  that 
he  could  take  care  of  one  animal  with  ease;  but  if  he 
possessed  a  hundred,  the  Apaches  would  be  likely  to 
steal  them  at  any  moment  while  grazing. 

Near  the  foot  of  the  Jornada,  the  road  takes  a  bold 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  77 

sweeping  curve  to  the  left,  toward  Dofia  Ana,  being  in 
terrupted  by  a  low  but  rugged  series  of  small  hills  and 
deep  ravines.  About  eight  o'clock  P.  M.  ,  the  moon  being 
bright  and  not  a  cloud  visible,  I  dashed  round  the  first 
hill,  and  was  surprised  to  note  that  the  Apaches  had  ap 
parently  given  up  the  chase,  for  I  neither  heard  nor  saw 
any  more  of  them,  although  I  was  about  four  hundred 
yards  ahead.  Suddenly  it  flashed  upon  my  mind  that 
they  might  have  some  short  cut-off,  and  had  pursued  it 
with  the  intention  of  heading  me.  For  the  first  time  I 
struck  my  rowels  into  the  reeking  flanks  of  my  poor 
steed,  and  most  gallantly  did  he  respond  to  this  last  call. 
He  fairly  flew  over  the  road.  Hill  after  hill  was  passed 
with  wonderful  rapidity  until  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
had  elapsed,  when  I  again  heard  my  Apache  friends, 
about  eighty  yards  in  my  rear.  No  sooner  did  they  per 
ceive  that  their  design  had  been  penetrated  and  frus 
trated,  than  they  recommenced  their  yells  with  additional 
vigor.  But  their  horses  were  blown,  as  well  as  mine. 
They  had  come  at  their  best  pace  the  whole  way,  while 
mine  had  been  saved  from  time  to  time.  If  I  had  come 
fifty  miles  at  a  slow  gait  in  the  early  day,  they  had  come 
fifteen  at  dead  speed  before  they  reached  to  where  our 
race  began. 

In  this  manner  we  continued  our  career  until  I  arrived 
within  five  miles  of  Dofia  Ana,  about  eleven  o'clock  p.  M.  , 
when,  feeling  myself  comparatively  safe,  I  commenced 
emptying  the  cylinders  of  my  heavy  holster  pistols  among 
them.  Their  cries  and  yells  were  fearful  at  this  time, 
but  I  did  not  cease  firing  until  they  had  fallen  back  out  of 
reach.  The  remainder  of  my  journey  was  made  without 
company,  and  I  reached  Dona  Ana  about  twelve  o'clock 
midnight,  having  made  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles,  on  one  horse,  in  the  space  of  twenty- 


78  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

one  hours,,  the  last  seventy  miles  being  performed  at  a 
run. 

So  soon  as  I  arrived,  I  threw  off  my  serape,  which  had 
quite  a  number  of  arrows  sticking*  in  it,  called  my  boy, 

,  Jos 5,  and  rubbed  my  horse  down  dry  with  good,  soft 
straw.  This  operation  required  about  two  hours.  I  then 
washed  him  all  over  with  strong  whisky  and  water,  and 
again  rubbed  him  dry.  This  was  followed  by  taking  off 
his  shoes,  and  giving  him  about  two  quarts  of  whisky  and 
water  as  a  draught.  His  whole  body  and  limbs  were 
then  swathed  in  blankets,  a  mess  of  cut  hay,  sprinkled 
with  water  and  mixed  with  a  couple  of  pounds  of  raw 
steak,  cut  into  small  pieces,  was  given  him  to  eat,  and  a 
deep  bed  of  clean  dry  straw  prepared  for  .him  to  sink 
into.  These  duties  kept  me  up  until  five  o'clock  A.  M., 

-  wrhen  I  refreshed  my  inner  man  with  a  wholesome  whisky 
toddy,  prepared  by  Buford,  and  sought  repose,  from 
which  I  did  not  awaken  for  all  that  day  and  the  succeed 
ing  night.  On  the  second  day  after  the  above  adventure, 
I  visited  my  horse  and  found  him  in  as  fine  condition  as 
any  one  could  reasonably  expect.  He  was  neither  foun 
dered  nor  injured  in  any  ostensible  manner.  On  many 
a  subsequent  occasion  he  served  me  with  equal  zeal  and 
capability,  but  never  more  under  such  exciting  circum 
stances.  Several  efforts  were  afterwards  made  by  the 
Apaches  to  get  possession  of  that  noble  beast,  but,  I  am 
proud  and  happy  to  add,  invariably  without  success.  At 
the  Copper  Mines  he  was  saved  to  me  by  mere  .accident. 
On  a  certain  occasion,  remembering  that  he  had  lost  a 
shoe,  I  sent  Jos 3  to  bring  him  from  the  herd  then  graz~ 
ing  about  a  mile  distant,  under  the  care  of  a  guard.  The 
order  was  immediately  obeyed,  and  in  half  an  hour  after 
ward  the  whole  herd  was  carried  off  by  the  Apaches. 
It  may  be  entered  up  as  an  invariable  rule,  that  the 


LIFE    AMOXG    THE    APACHES.  79 

visits  of  Apaclies  to  American  camps  are  always  for  sin 
ister  purposes.  They  have  nothing  to  trade  for:  conse 
quently,  it  is  not  barter  that  brings  them.  They  beg, 
but  in  no  wise  comparably  with  other  Indian  tribes;  and 
scarcely  expect  to  receive  when  they  ask.  Their  keen 
eyes  omit  nothing.  One's  arms  and  equipments,  the 
number  of  your  party,  their  cohesion  and  precaution, 
their  course  of  march,  their  system  of  defence  in  case  of 
attack,  and  the  amount  of  plunder  to  be  obtained  with 
the  least  possible  risk,  are  all  noted  and  judged.  Wher 
ever  their  observations  can  be  made  from  neighboring 
heights  with  a  chance  of  successful  ambush,  the  Apache 
never  showTs  himself,  nor  gives  any  sign  of  his  presence. 
Like  the  ground  shark,  one  never  knows  he  is  there  un 
til  one  feels  his  bite.  In  nature  and  disposition,  in  hab~ 
its,  laws,  manners  and  customs,  in  religion  and  ceremo 
nies,  in  tribal  and  family  organization,  in  language  and 
signs,  in  war  and  in  peace,  he  is  totally  different  from  all 
other  Indians  of  the  North  American  continent;  and 
these  facts  will  be  set  forth  in  future  chapters,  for  the 
consideration  of  those  who  may  peruse  this  work. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

Gold  Mines. — Apache  Raid. — Our  Mules  Stolen. — Unsuccessful  Scout. — Another 
Apache  Raid.— Fight  with  Delgadito's  Band.— Recovery  of  Stolen  Cattle.— 
Delgadito  Wounded. —  His  Death.  —  Traits  of  Apache  Character.  —  Their 
Spartan  Views.  —  Apache  Idea  of  American  Wisdom.  —  Adventure  of  Mr. 
Diaz  with  Cuchillo  Negro.— Abandon  the  Copper  Mines.— Sonora.— Santa 
Cruz.  — Bacuachi.  —  Arispe.  —  Ures.  —  Hermosillo. —  Guaymas. —  Return. — 
Santa  Rita.— The  Pimos  and  Maricopas.— Their  Tradition.— Their  Personal 
Appearance.— Strange  Relations  Between  the  Two  Tribes.— Lucubrations 
on  Indian  Character.— Our  Indian  Policy  Criticised. 

THE  main  object  of  the  author  is  to  relate  such  inci 
dents  as  will  give  his  readers  an  insight  into  Indian  char 
acter;  but  in  each  case  the  relation  will  be  of  facts  occur 
ring  within  his  own  personal  experience.  It  is  too  much 
the  habit  to  give  details  received  from  hearsay  evidence, 
from  which  the  writer  draws  his  conclusions  and  offers 
them  to  his  readers  as  the  results  of  personal  investiga 
tion  and  knowledge.  This  fault,  for  I  so  consider  it, 
will  be  avoided  in  the  present  work,  and  nothing  de 
scribed  which  was  not  actually  witnessed  or  experienced 
by  the  author,  who  leaves  his  readers  to  form  their  own 
conclusions. 

After  the  shooting  of  the  Apache  at  the  Copper  Mines 
by  Jesus  Lopez,  matters  resumed  a  pacific  appearance 
for  some  weeks;  but  the  calm  was  only  on  the  surface. 
The  Apache  mind  had  been  deeply  exercised  by  the  re 
covery  of  Inez  and  the  two  boys,  and  by  our  invasion 
and  long  retention  of  their  favorite  haunt.  Gold  mines 
had  been  struck  a  few  miles  from  the  post,  and  this  fact 
threatened  the  existence  of  a  permanent  colony  of  Anier- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  81 

leans,  which  also  served  to  aggravate  the  natural  hatred 
and  malevolence  of  the  savages.  This  last  mentioned 
fear  proved  well  grounded,  for  at  this  day  there  ,are  over 
three  hundred  Americans  and  others  working  those  mines, 
and  a  considerable  village  has  sprung  up  in  their  imme 
diate  vicinity. 

Mangas  Colorado,  Ponce,  Delgadito,  Cuchillo  Negro, 
Coletto  Amarillo,  and  other  prominent  Apaches,  have, 
since  then,  all  been  sent  to  their  long  account  hy  the  ri 
fles  of  Californiaii  soldiers  and  American  citizens,  but  not 
without  the  loss  of  many  innDcent  lives  on  our  part,  or 
the  perpetration  of  atrocities  on  the  part  of  the  Apaches 
which  make  the  blood  curdle  at  the  bare  recital.  These 
developments  will  form  portions  of  succeeding  chapters. 

Toward  the  latter  end  of  July,  a  number  of  mules  for 
which  Col.  Craig  was  responsible,  could  not  be  found, 
although  all  the  surrounding  country,  to  the  extent  of 
thirty  miles,  was  strictly  searched.  That  gallant  officer 
and  accomplished  gentleman  invited  me  to  his  quarters, 
and  asked  my  opinion  on  the  subject.  Without  hesita 
tion,  I  informed  him  that  I  thought  the  Apaches  had 
stolen  them,  either  for  the  hope  of  reward  for  bringing 
them  back  (as  the  Commissioner  had  invariably  bestowed 
gifts  on  those  of  the  tribe  who  brought  in  strayed  ani 
mals,  or  those  supposed  to  have  strayed)  or  that  they 
had  made  the  initiative  of  a  war  campaign.  After  two 
or  three  hours  of  conversation,  the  Colonel  fell  into  my 
idea,  and  determined  to  go  and  search  for  them  himself. 
Taking  thirty  soldiers,  he  visited  the  Apache  camp  of 
Delgadito,  on  the  Mimbres  river.  The  Indians  were 
much  excited,  and  disclaimed  any  participation  in  the 
robbery,  or  any  knowledge  of  the  missing  animals;  but 
promised  to  hunt  them  up  and  restore  them  to  that 
officer,  if  found.  Eight  days  afterward  they  kept  their 


82  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

promise,  in  a  truly  Apache  manner,  by  making  another 
descent  upon  the  Colonel's  herd  of  mules,  and  relieving 
him  of  the  necessity  to  guard  twenty-five  more  of  those 
animals,  and  some  fine  horses.  Having  nothing  but 
infantry,  Col.  Craig  felt  himself  unable  to  maintain  an  ac 
tive  campaign  against  these  bold  and  well-mounted  sav 
ages,  and  consequently  invoked  the  aid  of  Capt.  Buford's 
company  of  dragoons,  from  Doiia  Ana.  Soon  after  the 
arrival  of  that  officer,  another  batch  of  animals  disap 
peared  in  the  same  mysterious  manner,  and  a  joint  jscout, 
composed  of  the  dragoons  and  mounted  infantry,  started 
off  to  recover  the  lost  animals,  or  punish  the  robbers,  if 
possible.  This  raid  proved  wholly  ineffective,  neither 
animals  being  recovered,  nor  Indians  punished;  but  dur 
ing  the  absence  of  the  force,  intelligence  was  brought 
that  the  Apaches  had  attacked  the  mining  camp,  about 
three  or  four  miles  down  the  canon,  and  were  driving  off 
the  cattle.  About  twenty  of  the  Commission,  headed  by 
Lieut.  A.  W.  Whipple,  mounted  their  horses  and  gave 
immediate  pursuit.  The  Indians  were  overhauled  in  a 
thick  forest,  and  one  party,  numbering  about  fifty  war 
riors,  stood  to  give  us  battle,  while  a  detachment  hurried 
on  with  the  cattle.  The  Indians  concealed  themselves 
behind  large  pine  trees,  and  retreated  as  fast  as  possible, 
but  still  showing  front.  Our  party  dismounted,  and, 
being  joined  by  Mr.  Hay,  the  head  miner,  with  four  of 
his  associates,  we  left  our  horses  in  care  of  eight  men, 
and  took  to  the  trees,  keeping  up  a  lively  fire  from  be 
hind  their  friendly  shelter. 

Here,  for  the  first  time,  all  doubt  as  to  the  identity  of 
the  robbers  was  set  at  rest,  for  they  were  headed  by  Del- 
gadito,  who  kept  at  a  safe  distance  and  poured  out  tor 
rents  of  the  vilest  abuse  upon  the  Americans.  This  same 
scoundrel  had  slSpt  in  my  tent  only  two  nights  before, 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  83 

when  I  gave  him  a  good  shirt  and  a  serviceable  pair  of 
shoes. 

The  Government  had  furnished  the  Commission  with 
several  styles  of  newly-patented  arms,  and  among  these 
were  some  Wesson's  rifles,  which  could  throw  their  balls 
with  fair  accuracy  a  distance  of  four  hundred  yards — at 
that  period  a  very  remarkable  distance.  One  of  these 
rifles  I  had  ordered  to  be  fitted  with  new  and  fine  sights, 
and  at  three  hundred  and  fifty  yards  a  good  marksman 
could  hit  the  size  of  his  hat  eight  times  out  of  ten. 

Among  our  party  was  Wells,  the  Commissioner's  car 
riage  driver — an  excellent,  brave  and  cool  man,  and  a 
crack  shot.  I  pointed  Delgadito  out  to  W'ells,  and  hand 
ing  him  my  rifle,  told  him  to  approach  as  nearly  as  pos 
sible,  take  good  aim  and  bring  the  rascal  down.  Wells 
glided  from  tree  to  tree  with  the  utmost  caution  and 
rapidity,  until  he  got  within  two  hundred  and  sixty  or 
seventy  yards  of  Delgadito,  who,  at  that  moment,  was 
slapping  his  buttocks  and  defying  us  with  the  most  op 
probrious  language.  While  in  the  act  of  exhibiting  his 
posteriors — a  favorite  taunt  among  the  Apaches — he  un 
covered  them  to  Wells,  who  took  deliberate  aim  and 
fired.  This  mark  of  attention  was  received  by  Delgadito 
with  an  unearthly  yell  and  a  series  of  dances  and  capers 
that  would  put  a  maitre  de  ballet  to  the  blush.  The 
Apache  leader  was  recalled  to  full  consciousness  of  his 
exposed  position  by  the  whizzing  of  three  or  four  balls 
in  close  proximity  to  his  upper  end,  when  he  ceased  his 
saltatory  exercises  and  rushed  frantically  through  a  thick 
copse,  followed  by  his  band.  We  started  back  for  our 
horses  and  having-  remounted,  again  pressed  forward  in 
pursuit.  In  fifteen  minutes  we  had  passed  the  woods 
and  opened  upon  the  plain,  over  which  the  Apaches  were 
scouring  for  life.  The  pursuit  lasted  for  thirty  miles, 


84  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

and  just  at  sundown  we  came  once  more  upon  the  cattle, 
when  the  party  in  charge  abandoned  them  and  sought 
safety  in  flight  with  their  beaten  companions.  Perceiv 
ing  that  further  pursuit  would  be  useless,  we  contented 
ourselves  by  bringing  back  Mr.  Hay's  herd.  I  afterward 
learned  that  the  ball  from  Wells'  rifle  gouged  a  neat 
streak  across  that  portion  of  Delgadito's  person  denom 
inated  in  school  parlance  as  the  "'seat  of  honor."  His 
riding  and  general  activity  were  spoiled  for  several  weeks. 

This  celebrated  Apache  was  subsequently  killed  by  a 
Mexican,  whom  he  was  endeavoring  to  dupe  and  destroy. 
They  were  fording  the  Mimbres  river  on  foot,  and  upon 
reaching  the  eastern  bank,  Delgadito  caught  hold  of  the 
projecting  branch  of  a  tree  to  assist  himself,  when  the 
Mexican  took  advantage  of  his  momentary  neglect,  and 
plunged  his  knife  through  the  Indian's  heart-  from  be 
hind.  It  is  an  actual  fact  that  the  dead  savage  was 
found,  the  next  day,  still  clinging  to  the  branch.  This 
event  took  place  two  years  after  we  had  left  the  country. 
I  never  met  with  Delgadito  after  the  affair  in  the  woods; 
but  had  resolved  to  pistol  him  the  very  first  time  we  got 
close  enough  to  make  my  shot  sure. 

In  every  case  the  Copper  Mine  Apaches  had  been 
treated  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  hospitality  by  the 
whole  Commission.  They  had  received  very  many  and 
valuable  presents.  For  months  they  had  the  unrestricted 
freedom  of  our  camp.  All  causes  of  dispute  had  been 
settled  to  their  own  satisfaction;  nothing  had  occurred 
for  weeks  to  disturb  the  existing  harmony.  Only  two 
days  before  the  affair  above  described,  Delgadito  and  over 
a  hundred  warriors  had  been  in  the  Copper  Mines,  and 
emphatically  disavowed  any  participation  in  or  knowl 
edge  of  the  wholesale  robberies  which  had  been  commit 
ted  on  our  people.  Mr.  Bartlett  and  Dr.  Webb  had 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  85 

persisted  in  their  theory,  that  "kind  treatment,  a  rigid 
adherance  to  what  is  right,  and  a  prompt  and  invariable 
fulfillment  of  all  promises,  would  secure  the  friendship  of 
the  Apaches;"  but,  although  this  kind  of  treatment  had 
been  exactly  carried  out  by  Mr.  Bartlett  and  his  Com 
mission,  the  Apaches  took  occasion  to  manifest  their  ap 
preciation  and  friendship  by  robbing  over  three  hundred 
head  of  our  finest  mules  and  horses,  which  had  been 
resting  and  growing  fat  and  strong  for  future  use.  They 
never  served  us  again.  There  are  cases  where  an  indi 
vidual  Apache  will  conceive  a  personal  regard  for  a  par 
ticular  man,  and  will  do  him  almost  any  act  of  kindness 
in  his  power,  but  this  is  far,  very  far,  from  being  a  gen 
eral  rule.  From  earliest  infancy  they  are  instructed  to 
regard  every  other  race  as  natural  enemies.  Their  sus 
picions  and  savage  distrust  are  aroused  and  cultivated 
before  they  ever  come  in  contact  with  other  people.  An 
Apache  child  of  three  years  will  run  and  yell  with  fear 
and  hate  from  a  white  man.  Apache  mothers  hush  their 
children  by  naming  an  American.  To  rob  or  kill  a  Mex 
ican,  is  considered  a  most  honorable  achievement;  but  to 
commit  successful  outrage  upon  an  American,  entitles 
the  perpetrator  to  the  highest  consideration.  Dexterity 
in  stealing  is  a  virtue  of  no  mean  character.  The  most 
adroit  thief  is  precisely  the  man  who  is  best  capable  of 
maintaining  his  wives  in  plenty  and  bedecking  them  ia 
meretricious  finery,  of  which  they  are  inordinately  fond. 
The  Apache  woman  who  is  saddled  with  the  least  work 
and  the  most  ornaments,  is  the  envied  of  her  sex.  For 
this  reason,  the  young  girls  prefer  to  become  the  fifth, 
sixth,  or  seventh  wife  of  a  noted  robber,  rather  than  the 
single  spouse  of  a  less  adroit  thief.  In  the  first  case  her 
labors  are  divided  by  her  associate  wives,  and  are,  there 
fore,  measurably  lessened,  while  her  chances  for  obtain- 
5 


86  LIFE   AMONO   THE   APACHES. 

ing  gew-gaws  are  quite  as  good  or  better.     They  un 
questionably  prefer  polygamy,  as  it  exists. 

A  really  brave  man  does  not  rank  as  high  as  a  really 
clever,  thievish  poltroon.    His  gallantry  is  admired,  and 
in  times  of  danger  all  flock  around  him  for  protection; 
but  at  other  periods  the  young  squaws  give  him  the  cold 
shoulder,  and  he  is  regarded  as  little  better  than  a  fool 
who  will  run  into  danger,  but  does  not  know  how  to  steal, 
or  enrich  himself  at  the  expense  of  others.     "  He  is  a 
very  brave  warrior/'  say  they,  "  a  man  who  will  fight  and 
shed  his  blood  in  our  defense;  but  he  is  little  better  than 
an  ass,  because  he  is  always  poor  and  don't  know  how  to 
steal  and  not  be  caught."     I  am  not  too  sure  that  some 
thing  of  this  characteristic  does  not  obtain  among  people 
who  profess  to  rank  much  higher  than  the  Apaches  in 
the  scale  of  mankind.     It  might  be  as  well,  perhaps,  to 
pull  the  mote  out  of  our  own  eyes  before  we  attempt  to 
extract  the  beam  from  those  of   our  savage  brethren. 
Nevertheless,  the  Apache  character  is  not  lovely.     In 
point  of  natural  shrewdness,  quick  perception  and  keen 
animal  instinct  they  are  unequaled  by  any  other  people. 
They  know  what  is  just  and  proper,  because  in  all  their 
talks  they  urge  justice  and  propriety,  and  profess  to  be 
guided  by  those  virtues;   but  all  their  acts  belie  their 
words.     Deceit  is  regarded  among  them  with  the  same 
admiration  we  bestow  upon  one  of  the  fine  arts.    To  lull 
the  suspicions  of  an  enemy — and  to  them  all  other  people 
are  enemies — and  then  take  advantage  of  his  credence, 
is  regarded  as  a  splendid  stroke  of  policy.     To  rob  and 
not  be  robbed;  to  kill  and  not  be  killed;  to  take  captive 
and  not  be  captured,  form  the  sum  of  an  Apache's  educa 
tion  and  ambition,  and  he  who  can  perform  these  acts 
with  the  greatest  success  is  the  greatest  man  in  the  tribe. 
To  be  a  prominent  Apache  is  to  be  a  prominent  scoundrel. 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  87 

But  the  reader  will  have  plenty  of  opportunities  to  judge 
for  himself,  as  the  succeeding  pages  will  unfold  incidents 
enough  from  which  to  form  a  criterion.  They  are  far 
from  cowardly,  but  they  are  exceedingly  prudent.  Twenty 
Apaches  will  not  attack  four  well  armed  and  determined 
men,  if  they  keep  constantly  on  their  guard  and  pre 
pared  for  action.  In  no  case  will  they  incur  the  risk  of 
losing  life,  unless  the  plunder.be  most  enticing  and  their 
numbers  overpowering,  and  even  then  they  will  track  a 
small  party  for  days,  waiting  an  opportunity  to  establish 
a  secure  ambush  or  effect  a  surprise.  A  celebrated  war 
rior  once  told  me:  "  You  Americans  are  fools,  for  when 
ever  you  hear  a  gun  fire  you  run  straight  to  the  spot; 
but  we  Apaches  get  away,  and  by  and  by  steal  round 
and  discover  the  cause." 

I  have  before  stated  that  individual  Apaches  will  some 
times  conceive  a  regard  for  particular  persons  not  of  their 
tribe,  and  an  incident  illustrative  of  this  fact  occurred  to 
Lieut.  Diaz  of  the  Mexican  Commission.  Mr.  Diaz  had 
been  ordered  to  occupy  a  station  on  the  top  of  a  certain 
prominent  height,  and  took  with  him  a  party  of  ten  men. 
His  camp  was  only  about  four  miles  from  the  camp  of 
Gen.  Garcia  Conde;  but  getting  out  of  provisions  he 
left  the  mountain,  accompanied  by  one  man,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  ordering  another  supply.  His  course  led  him 
over  a  perfectly  smooth  plain  for  the  distance  of  two 
|  miles.  Not  a  tree,  nor  a  bush,  nor  a  rock  was  visible, 
but  the  grass  was  thick  and  about  a  foot  high.  Mr.  Diaz 
and  his  man  walked  side  by  side,  each  with  a  six-shooter 
in  his  hand,  for  the  Apaches  were  then  hostile.  About 
|  the  middle  of  the  plain  Mr.  Diaz  felt  his  right  wrist 
seized  and  his  left  arm  pinioned,  while  his  pistol  was 
taken  from  his  grasp,  and  he  found  himself  in  the  power 
of  Cuchillo  Negro  and  a  dozen  other  savages.  His  at- 


88  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

tendant  was  .also  seized  and  a  prisoner.  Cuchillo  Negro 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment,  with  a  most  gratified  ex 
pression  on  his  savage  face,  and  then  said: 

"  My  friend,  you  see  that  you  cannot  escape  us.  But 
I  like  you  and  will  do  you  no  harm.  You  must  cease 
from  staying  on  that  hill.  I  want  it;  it  belongs  to  me. 
You  have  intruded  into  my  country;  but  you  yourself  I 
like.  I  will  keep  these  pistols;  but  send  for  the  rest  of 
your  men  on  the  hill  and  take  them  away.  For  your  sake 
we  will  not  kill  them  this  time." 

Poor  Lieut.  Diaz  had  not  a  word  to  reply  except  to 
promise  that  the  Indian's  request  would  be  granted  in  re 
turn  for  his  generosity.  It  seems  that  Cuchillo  Negro 
had  observed  the  movement  of  Mr.  Diaz,  and  with  his 
band  had  buried  himself  under  the  grass,  waiting  the 
auspicious  moment  when  Mr.  Diaz  should  pass  him  on 
the  road,  when  suddenly  and  noiselessly  rising  the  sav 
ages  grasped  the  unsuspecting  Mexicans.  I  will  here 
add,  that  Mr.  Diaz  was  the  officer  charged  to  blow  up 
the  fortress  of  Chapultepec,  should  it  fall  into  the  hands 
of  the  Americans;  but  when  the  time  came  his  heart  failed 
him*  and  he  was  captured  pistol  in  hand,  as  if  about  to 
fire  the  magazine. 

A  few  weeks  after  the  incidents  above  described,  the 
Commission  abandoned  the  Copper  Mines,  in  order  to 
prosecute  their  labors  to  completion,  and  this  abandon 
ment  was  always  regarded  by  the  Apaches  as  the  legiti 
mate  result  of  their  active  hostility.  This  fact  came  to 
my  knowledge  twelve  years  subsequent  to  the  period  of 
our  removal,  at  which  time  it  was  again  my  province  to 
renew  my  acquaintance  with  Mangas  Colorado,  then  the 
only  one  living  of  the  chiefs  we  had  met  at  the  Copper 
Mines.  Coletto  Amarillo,  Ponce  and  his  son,  were  killed 
in  action  by  California!!  soldiers,  and  it  was  the  fate  of 
Mangas  to  die  on  the  point  of  an  American  bayonet. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  89 

After  a  long  travel  through  Sonora,  visiting  Santa 
Cruz,  Bacuachi,  Babispe,  Tumacarcori,  Imurez,  Arispe, 
Ures,  Hermosillo,  Guaymas,  and  several  other  towns, 
Mr.  Bartlett  took  passage  by  sea  from  Guaymas,  leaving 
Dr.  Webb,  Mr.  Thurber,  Mr.  Pratt  and  his  son,  myself 
and  five  others,  making  a  party  of  ten,  to  reach  Califor 
nia  overland,  and  join  him  at  San  Diego.  This  was  a 
very  small  party  to  travel  through  the  Apache  strong 
holds,  especially  at  a  time  when  those  savages  were  at 
open  war  with  us;  but  we  were  all  splendidly  armed,  ex 
cept  Dr.  Webb,  who  could  never  be  persuaded  to  carry 
anything  but  a  small  five-inch  five-shooter  and  a  knife — 
and  we  were  also  tolerably  experienced  in  the  Apache 
style  of  warfare,  and  the  nature  of  the  country  tu  be 
traversed.  The  magnificent  Santa  Eita,  ten  thousand 
feet  high,  with  its  majestic  head  wreathed  in  snow,  Tu- 
bac,  San  Xavier  del  Bac  and  Tucson  were  successively 
reached  and  passed.  The  great  desert  of  ninety  miles 

without  water — I  speak  of  eighteen  years  ago,  in  1850 

between  Tucson  and  the  Gila  river,  was  crossed  safely, 
but  not  without  much  suffering;  and  we  finally  reached 
the  Pimo  villages,  where  we  met  Lieut.  Whipple  and 
party. 

The  Pimos  have  ever  been  most  friendly  to  Americans, 
and  I  have  yet  to  learn  of  a  single  instance  in  which  they 
ever  harmed  a  white  man.  These  Indians  are  not  nomads- 
Their  villages  have  remained  in  the  same  localities  for 
hundreds  of  years.  As  their  country  affords  no  game, 
and  they  are  by  no  means  a  warlike  tribe,  they  maintain 
themselves  in  comfort  and  abundance  by  tilling  the 
ground,  and  limit  their  warlike  propensities  to  punishing 
the  raids  made  upon  them  by  other  tribes.  These ^imos 
profess  to  have  originally  come  from  the  far  south.  Ac 
cording  to  their  tradition,  their  forefathers  were  driven 


90  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  - 

from  tlieir  native  land  many  centuries  ago,  and  sought 
an  asylum  by  coming  northward.  They  profess  to  have 
crossed  through  Sonora,  and-  finally  settled  on  the  Gila, 
about  twenty  miles  east  of  the  eastern  limit  of  the  Great 
Gila  Bend,  where  that  river  makes  a  detour  to  the  north 
of  nearly  ninety  miles,  and,  after  sweeping  round  the 
base  of  a  range  of  mountains,  resumes  its  original  course 
westward.  Here  they  were  visited  by  the  Jesuit  mis 
sionaries,  who  taught  them  how  to  till  the  ground,  and 
supplied  them  with  many  valuable  seeds,  and  also  in 
structed  them  in  the  art  of  preparing  and  weaving  cot 
ton.  A  Pimo  cotton  blanket  will  last  for  years,  and  is 
really  a  very  handsome  and  creditable  affair.  The  men 
never  cut  their  hair,  but  wear  it  in  massive  plaits  and 
folds,  which  frequently  descend  to  the  calves  of  their 
legs.  The  front  hair  is  cut  even  with  the  eyebrows.  The 
women  wear  short  hair,  and  are  not  permitted  to  have  it 
more  than  eight  or  nine  inches  in  length.  They  are  a 
robust  and  well-formed  race,  and  not  at  all  revengeful, 
but  exceedingly  superstitious  —  far  more  so  than  any 
other  tribe  I  ever  met.  They  are  hospitable,  chatty,  and 
exceedingly  proud  of  the  purity  of  their  blood. 

Living  in  the  closest  amity  with  them  are  the  Maricopa 
Indians,  who,  like  the  Pimos,  claim  to  be  direct  descend 
ants  from  Moctezuma,  but  differ  from  them  essentially  in 
their  language,  laws,  habits,  manners  and  religious  cer 
emonies.  The  Maricopa  tradition,  as  given  me  by  Juan 
Jose,  a  chief  of  some  importance  in  former  times,  and 
subsequently  confirmed  by  Juan  Chivari,  the  present 
head  chief  of  the  tribe,  is  to  the  following  effect. 

About  a  hundred  years  ago  the  Yumas,  Cocopahs  and 
Mariqppas  composed  one  tribe,  known  as  the  Coco-Marl 
icopa  tribe.  They  occupied  the  country  about  the  head 
of  the  Gulf  of  California,  and  for  some  distance  up  the 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  91 

Colorado  river.  At  that  time  a  dispute  occurred,  and 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Cocopah  tribe  split  off,  and 
the  secessionists  were  permitted  to  go  in  peace.  This 
pacific  policy  soon  afterward  induced  the  party,  now 
known  as  Maricopas,  to  secede  also;  but  this  defection 
incurred  the  severe  displeasure  and  hostility  of  the  re 
mainder,  who  now  .form  the  Yuma  tribe.  Many  san 
guinary  conflicts  ensued,  when  the  Yumas  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  aid  of  the  Cocopahs,  and,  together,  they 
gradually  forced  the  Maricopas  up  the  Colorado,  until 
the  Gila  was  reached.  Knowing  that  the  country  to  the 
north  was  occupied  by  the  Amojaves,  a  large  and  warlike 
tribe,  the  retreating  Maricopas  turned  their  steps  east 
ward,  and  folloAved  the  windings  of  the  Gila  river,  pur 
sued  by  their  relentless  enemies,  until  they  reached  the 
Great  Gila  Bend.  Their  spies  were  sent  across  this  des 
ert  and  returned  with  the  intelligence  that  they  had  met 
a  tribe  living  in  well  constructed  and  comfortable  houses, 
cultivating  the  land,  well  clothed,  numerous,  and  appa 
rently  happy.  A  council  was  called  and  it  was  agreed  to 
send  an  embassy  to  the  Pimos,  to  negotiate  a  defensive 
and  offensive  alliance,  and  with  the  request  that  the 
Pimos  would  parcel  out  to  them  a  suitable  amount  of 
land  for  their  occupation.  After  much  delay,  and  with 
true  Indian  circumspection,  it  was  agreed  that  the  Mari 
copas  should  inhabit  certain  lands  of  the  Pimos;  but  it 
was  made  a  sine  qua  non  that  the  new-comers  must  for 
ever  renounce  their  warlike  and  hunting  propensities, 
and  dedicate  themselves  to  tillage — for,  said  the  Pimos, 
we  have  no  hunting  grounds;  we  do  not  wish  to  incur 
the  vengeance  of  the  Tontos,  the  Chimehuevis,  the 
Apaches,  and  others,  by  making  useless  raids  against 
them;  they  have  nothing  to  lose,  and'  we  have,  and  you 
must  confine  yourselves  solely  to  revenging  any  warlike 


92  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

incursions  made  either  upon  us  or  upon  yourselves. 
You  are  free  to  worship  after  your  own  manner,  and 
govern  yourselves  according  to  your  own  laws;  but  you 
must  be  ready  at  all  times  to  furnish  a  proportionate 
number  of  warriors  to  protect  the  general  weal,  and,  in 
the  event  of  taking  any  booty,  there  shall  be  a  fair  divi 
sion  made  by  a  council  of  sagamores,  composed  of  equal 
numbers  from  each  tribe,  and  their  decision  must  be 
final. 

These  equitable  and  generous  terms  were  accepted  by 
the  Maricopas,  who  immediately  occupied  a  portion  of 
Pimo  territory,  and  imitated  them  in  the  construction  of 
their  dwellings  and  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  being 
supplied  with  seed  by  the  Pimos.  In  this  manner  the 
two  tribes  have  continued  together  for  one  hundred 
years;  yet,  as  an  instance  of  the  pertinacity  with  which 
an  Indian  will  cling  to  his  own  particular  tribe  and  cus 
toms,  although  many  of  them  have  intermarried,  and 
their  villages  are  never  more  than  two  miles  apart, 
and  in  some  cases  not  more  than  four  hundred  yards,  to 
this  day  they  cannot  converse  with  each  other  unless 
through  an  interpreter.  Their  laws,  religion,  manners, 
ceremonies  and  language,  remain  quite  as  distinct  as  on 
the  day  they  sought  the  Pimo  alliance.  Here  we  find 
no  difference  of  color  or  diversity  of  pursuit.  There  is 
no  clashing  element,  no  cause  for  discordant  controversy, 
or  contention.  They  are  and  have  been  the  warmest  of 
friends  for  the  period  stated,  have  frequently  intermar 
ried,  are  bound  together  by  one  common  sympathy  and 
one  common  cause,  have  the  same  enemies  to  contend 
against  and  the  same  evils  to  deplore — the  same  blessings 
to  enjoy;  yet  they  are  no  closer  together  now  than  they 
were  one  hundred  years  ago.  Ought  not  these  indisputa 
ble  facts  to  furnish  us  a  lesson  in  Indian  character? 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  93 

Must  we  forever  blind  our  eyes  to  such  teachings  of  expe 
rience  and  fact,  and  indulge  in  the  pleasing  hypothesis 
that  we  can  effect  radical  changes  in  their  political  and 
social  economy  ?  Enthusiasts  will  point  to  a  few  individ 
ual  exceptions,  who  have,  as  it  were,  got  rid  of  their  In 
dian  nature  and  elevated  themselves  to  a  higher  sphere 
in  the  mental,  social  and  political  scales;  but  these  ex 
ceptions  are  very  few,  and  only  serve  to  establish  the 
rule  that  the  leopard  cannot  change  his  spots,  nor  an 
Ethiopian  his  skin.  The  Cherokees,  Choctaws  and 
Chickasaws,  are  pointed  out  as  triumphal  examples  of 
what  the  white  man's  instructions  and  precepts  will  do 
for  the  Indian  races.  But  in  what  essential  particulars 
have  they  demonstrated  this  wonderful  improvement  ?  It 
is  true  that  many  of  them  know  how  to  read,  write  and 
compute;  that  they  assume,  to  some  extent,  the  vestments 
of  the  whites;  that  they  have  learned  how  to  construct  a 
beiter  class  of  houses,  and  have  improved  their  physical 
condition  in  other  respects;  but  is  this  true  of  the  major- 
itv?  Have  they  not  adopted,  to  the  fullest  extent,  all 
the  vices  of  the  whites,  while  acquiring  some  of  their 
minor  virtues  ?  If  left  to  themselves,  would  they  con 
tinue  to  advance  and  progress  in  wisdom  and  virtue,  or 
would  they  retrograde  into  barbarism?  Are  not  such 
changes  and  improvements  as  have  taken  place  among 
them  more  attributable  to  the  large  admixture  of  white 
blood  visible  in  these  tribes,  than  to  any  other  cause  ? 
How  many  of  pure  Indian  blood  are  now  to  be  found 
among  them  ?  Are  not  those  people  rapidly  dwindling 
away,  and  will  they  not  soon  be  among  the  things  that 
were  ?  Have  their  numbers  increased,  or  have  they  be 
come  strong  ?  Do  they  love  us  with  any  deeper  affection, 
or  do  they  show  gratitude  for  their  civilization  ? 

But,  says  the  Christian  philanthropist,  it  is  our  duty  to 
5* 


94  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

continue  even  unto  the  end;  to  faint  not  by  the  way,  nor 
become  lukewarm.  These  people  are  God's  children,  as 
well  as  yourself.  They  are  possessed  of  immortal  souls, 
and  if  your  lot  has  been  cast,  through  the  mercy  of  Prov 
idence,  in  a  more  elevated  and  useful  condition  of  life, 
you  should  not  contemn  those  who  have  been  denied 
these  benefits.  The  Almighty  has  created  them  for  the 
express  purpose  of  exercising  your  philanthropy,  your 
brotherly  love,  and  all  your  better  and.  nobler  qualities. 
Take  the  red  man  by  the  hand  as  you  have  done  to  his 
negro  brother,  and  guide  him  gently,  kindly  toward  a 
better  state  in  this  world  and  the  hope  of  salvation  here 
after. 

I  admit  that  these  are  very  persuasive  and  forcible 
arguments;  but,  reverend  sir,  the  red  man  absolutely  re 
fuses  to  come.  He  disdains  to  take  my  hand;  he  flouts 
my  offered  sympathy,  and  feels  indignant  at  my  pre 
sumption  in  proffering  him  my  aid  to  improve  his  condi 
tion.  He  conceives  himself  not  only  my  equal,  but  de 
cidedly  my  superior.  He  desires  only  to  be  let  alone. 
His  forefathers  lived  well  enough  without  our  officious 
services,  and  he  intends  to  do  likewise.  He  is  the  man 
of  the  woods,  the  plains,  the  mountains,  and  looks  upon 
us  as  the  men  of  the  towns  and  the  cities.  For  no  pos 
sible  consideration  would  he  change  places  or  accept  our 
domiciliary  style  of  life,  and  without  such  domestication 
all  our  efforts  are  vain  and  idle.  With  calm  and  unruf 
fled  dignity  he  listens  to  all  you  say,  and  with  uncon 
cealed  dislike  he  makes  it  a  point  to  remember  nothing 
he  has  heard,  or,  if  remembering,  to  treasure  it  up  as 
something  to  be  avoided.  Your  counsels  are  considered 
as  baits  and  traps,  and  your  desire  to  domiciliate  him  as 
an  effort  to  bring  him  under  your  control.  You  are  and 
must  ever  remain,  to  him,  an  object  of  suspicion  and 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  95 

distrust.  You  are  understood  to  be  his  natural  enemy, 
and  all  his  faculties  are  awakened  against  your  advances. 
Treasuring  up  his  own  vengeful  purposes  for  months  and 
years,  he  imputes  to  you  the  same,  or  kindred  intention 
of  doing  him  ultimate  harm.  No  effort,  no  kindness  on 
your  part,  can  induce  him  to  disabuse  his  mind  of  this 
idea,  because  he  is  not  capable  of  such  magnanimity,  and 
regards  it  as  the  finest  stroke  of  duplicity.  Trained  to 
treachery,  he  is  ever  on  his  guard  against  it  in  others. 
Even  members  of  his  own  tribe  are  not  trusted  implicitly. 
When  you  talk  to  him  of  a  Creator,  he  replies  that  he 
admits  that  fact;  and  when  you  endeavor  to  explain  the 
attributes  of  the  Most  High,  he  tells  you  of  the  necessity 
to  propitiate  the  devil.  Any  attempt  to  make  him  com 
prehend  the  Trinity  is  laughed  to  scorn,  and  he  hesitates 
not  to  tell  you  that  you  lie,  simply  because  it  is  beyond 
his  comprehension.  He  admires  and  envies  our  power 
to  read,  write  and  calculate,  and  would  fain  be  master  of 
those  accomplishments;  but  ask  him  to  send  his  children 
to  school,  in  order  that  they  might  learn  to  do  likewise, 
and  straightway  he  regards  you  as  one  wishing  to  con 
trol  and  bewitch  the  beloved  offspring.  He  is  willing  to 
obtain  information  by  oral  means,  but  scouts  the  idea  of 
learning  it  by  studious  process,  which  he  regards  as  a 
species  of  slavery,  and  detests  the  control  exercised  by 
the  teacher  over  his  free  born,  wild,  and  unfettered 
children.  While  he  frankly  admits  that  you  are  better 
clothed,  better  fed,  and  better  conditioned  in  all  respects 
than  he  is,  he  as  frankly  and  persistently  refuses  all 
overtures  and  invitations  to  adopt  your  style  of  life.  He 
is  as  dogmatically  convinced  of  his  superiority  as  you  are 
of  yours,  and  no  effort  of  rhetoric  or  argument  can  bring 
him  to  a  different  opinion.  Show  him  the  wonders  of 
magnetism,  or  a  microscope,  or  explain  to  him  the  mech 
anism  of  a  watch,  or  direct  his  admiring  gaze  through 


96  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

a  telescope,  and  lie  will  express  unfeigned  delight,  but 
will,  at  the  same  time,  regard  you  with  additional  dis 
trust  and  suspicion.  In  fine,  all  your  efforts  are  treated 
as  the  advances  of  an  invidious  enemy,  and  no  expendi 
ture  of  time  or  industry  has  ever  been  successful  in  this 
field  of  operation.  How  can  we  cultivate  and  improve 
human  beings  who  resolutely  refuse  cultivation  and  im 
provement,  and  brand  all  our  efforts  as  so  many  snares 
laid  for  their  subjection  ?  But  it  is  useless  to  prolong  a 
discussion  of  this  subject;  experientia  docet,  and  experi 
ence  has  shown  the  futility  of  all  attempts  to  cultivate, 
civilize  and  christianize  the  North  American  savage. 

The  deplorable  condition  of  the  Californian  Indians, 
after  years  upon  years  of  Jesuit  teachings,  and  the  foun 
dation  of  numerous  missions,  surrounded  with  large  and 
pacific  Indian  populations,  only  offers  another  proof  that 
the  savage  tribes  of  this  continent  are  not  susceptible  of 
permanent  and  radical  improvement.  Instead  of  being 
bettered,  civilized  and  christianized,  they  have  contracted 
all  the  worst  features  of  the  white  race  and  retained  all 
the  more  despicable  characteristics  of  their  own,  while 
the  native  dignity,  courage  and  primitive  virtues  of  the 
Indian  have  been  completely  annihilated.  In  all  the 
world  there  is  no  more  despicable  people  than  the  indig 
enous  tribes  of  California,  which  have  been,  for  years, 
under  the  sway  and  tuition  of  the  Jesuit  fathers,  who 
piously  thought  they  were  doing  God  good  service.  In 
all  the  attributes  of  manhood,  in  everything  which  digni 
fies  uncivilized  human  nature,  the  untamed  tribes  are 
infinitely  their  superiors.  Superstition,  cowardice,  filth, 
sloth,  drunkenness,  moral  depravity,  and  the  most  re 
volting  licentiousness  have  replaced  the  sterner  and  more 
simple  qualities  of  the  wild  Indian  tribes.  In  the  desire 
to  do  them  good,  we  have  done  them  the  most  harm. 
In  the  hope  of  excising  their  savage  defects,  we  have  in- 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  97 

oculated  them  with,  the  most  terrific  vices.  This  is  a  sad 
picture,  but  it  cannot  be  denied. 

What  was  the  result  of  bringing  leading  chiefs,  like 
Black  Hawk,  Keokuk,  Irritaba  and  Juan.  Chivari  from 
their  native  wilds  to  behold  and  take  lessons  from  the 
wealth,  power,  numbers  and  general  superiority  of  our 
people  ?  In  each  case  those  once  renowned  warriors  lost 
their  whole  influence.  They  wrere  regarded  with  suspicion 
and  dislike  by  their  own  tribes.  They  were  suspected  of 
being  bewitched.  Their  tales  of  the  wondrous  things 
they  saw  and  heard  were  treated  with  scorn  and  unbelief, 
and,  in  some  instances,  such  as  in  that  of  Irritaba  and 
Juan  Chivari,  they  barely  escaped  death  at  the  hands  of 
their  former  followers. 

The  North  American  savage  gazes  with  ill-suppressed 
admiration  upon  our  palatial  buildings,  our  thronged 
streets,  our  splendid  stores,  our  vast  and  complicated 
mechanical  engineering,  our  big  guns  and  great  ships; 
but  his  teaching  ends  there.  While  wondering  at  these 
things,  he  pants  for  his  own  unbounded  plains  and  dense 
forests.  He  is  not  animated  to  attempt  any  change  in 
his  own  method  of  life.  He  has  no  idea  of  toiling 
throughout  existence  that  his  children's  children,  to  the 
tenth  or  twentieth  generation,  may  possess  capabilities 
and  advantages  like  those  enjoyed  by  the  white  man. 
His  ambition  is  not  at  all  excited,  and  he  philosophically 
concludes  that  each  race  has  its  appointed  duties,  and  is 
engaged  in  its  fulfillment.  Indians  who  have  been  re 
moved  from  their  native  scenes  at  an  early  age,  and  re 
ceived  the  best  education  attainable  in  our  seminaries  of 
learning,  have  almost  invariably  returned  to  their  wastes, 
and  proved  the  most  formidable  enemies  of  those  who 
congratulated  themselves  on  having  rescued  them  as 
"  brands  from  the  burning." 


CHAPTER    IX. 


Pimo  Superstition.— Eclipse  of  the  Moon.  —  Terrible  Excitement.— Dangerous 
Predicament. —  Lieut.  Whipple's  Coolness.  —  Satisfactory  Result. —  Pimos 
and  Maricopas. — Their  Traditions. — Religions  and  Modes  of  Interment. — 
Dr.  David  Wooster.— Arrival  of  Gen.  Oonde.— Death  of  Antonio.— Horrible 
and  Revolting  Ceremonies. — The  Grila  Bend. — Down  the  Gila. — The  Mari- 
copa  Refugees.— Important  News.— The  Colorado  River.— John  Gallantin 
and  his  Party. 


AMONG-  the  most  superstitious  of  all  our  Indian  races, 
the  Pimos  take  precedence.  They  entertain  an  unfalter 
ing  belief  in  witchcraft,  sorcery,  ghosts,  the  direct  influ 
ence  of  the  evil  one,  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  pro 
pitiating  the  "gentleman  in  black."  It  is  not,  by  any 
means,  difficult  to  disturb  their  serenity  and  set  them  al 
most  wild,  by  the  exercise  of  the  most  simple  processes 
known  to  us.  I  have  often  fancied  to  myself  their  un 
bounded  wonderment  and  fear  at  a  skillful  exhibition  of 
the  magic  lantern,  or  the  more  scientific  feats  of  chemis 
try — such  as  converting  fluids  into  solids,  and  vice  versa 
— but  so  far  none  of  these  effects  have  been  shown  them. 

After  joining  the  party  under  Lieut.  Whipple,  that 
superior  officer  and  thorough  gentleman,  invited  me  to 
accompany  him  one  beautiful  night  to  assist  in  observing 
an  eclipse  of  the  moon,  wThich  was  to  take  place  about 
ten  o'clock.  The  opportunity  to  make  observations  was 
too  valuable  to  be  lost,  and  as  Mr.  Wheaton  was  ill,  the 
invitation  to  fill  his  place  was  kindly  tendered  to  the 
writer.  The  large  telescope  and  other  important  instru 
ments  were  carried  by  two  men  of  Whipple's  party,  and 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  99 

we  proceeded  until  the  highest  hillock  in  the  neighbor 
hood  was  surmounted.  The  Piinos  and  Maricopas  soon 
learned  that  the  white  men  were  abroad  with  sundry 
curious  looking  weapons,  and  surrounded  us  by  hundreds; 
but  as  we  knew  them  to  be  thoroughly  peaceful,  and 
even  generous,  no  notice  was  taken  of  their  presence. 
The  telescope  was  placed  in  position,  and  on  being  asked 
by  a  Pimo  what  it  was,  I  carelessly  replied  that  it  was  a 
terrific  cannon,  the  shot  of  which  would  reach  to  the 
moon.  Little  did  we  think  how  quickly  this  answer 
would  place  us  in  imminent  jeopardy.  The  round,  full 
moon  was  sailing  across  the  heavens  in  refulgent  splen 
dor.  Not  a  cloud  could  be  seen;  the  air  was  calm  and 
tranquil;  the  night  was  pleasantly  warm,  and  everything 
promised  a  satisfactory  observation.  By  and  by,  the 
eclipse  was  about  to  commence.  Mr.  "Whipple  stationed 
himself  at  the  telescope,  and  the  rest  of  us  stood  ready 
to  obey  his  directions.  Every  one  was  attentive,  and 
wholly  bent  on  making  the  occasion  a  success.  At 
length  the  observation  commenced.  It  was  watched  by 
the  Indians,  who  kept  their  eyes  alternately  fixed  on  the 
moon  and  on  Mr.  Whipple;  and  as 'the  disc  of  that  lu 
minary  began  to  grow  less  and  less,  and  darker  and 
darker,  the  Chief,  Culo  Azul,  said  to  me:  "What  are 
you  doing?'* 

Not  apprehending  any  difficulty,  and  relying  on  their 
well  known  and  often  tried  amity,  I  replied:  "  We  are 
shooting  and  killing  the  moon." 

This  was  translated  to  the  surrounding  multitude,  and 
immediately  followed  by  the  most  dreadful  yells  I  ever 
heard.  A  rush  was  made  toward  us,  and  weapons 
brandished  with  fearful  and  vengeful  violence.  Our 
party  became  alarmed,  and  prepared  to  sell  our  lives  as 
dearly  as  possible;  but  the  thought  of  our  unsuspecting 


100  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

comrades  in  the  camp  compelled  us  to  act  with,  caution. 
The  first  object  of  the  savages  was  evidently  to  destroy 
the  weapon  which  they  believed  to  be  killing  the  moon; 
but  its  loss  would  have  been  irreparable,  and  their  ven 
geance  would  not  have  stopped  there. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  without  the  moon?"  inquired  the 
Chief.  "  How  are  we  to  note  time  ?  How  shall  we  know 
when  to  plant  and  when  to  reap  ?  How  can  we  pass  all 
our  nights  in  darkness,  and  be  incapacitated  from  pre 
venting  Apache  raids?  What  have  we  done  to  you,  that 
you  should  do  this  thing  to  us  ?  " 

To  these  questions,  asked  with  vehemence  and  rapid 
ity,  I  replied,  "  Wait  until  I  consult  my  superior/'  and 
immediately  acquainted  Mr.  Whipple  with  all  the  facts. 
That  officer  had  left  the  telescope  in  alarm;  but  imme 
diately  replaced  himself  with  the  greatest  sang-froid, 
and,  in  an  undertone,  said: 

' '  Tell  them  that,  if  they  will  keep  quiet  and  promise 
not  to  make  any  hostile  movement,  we  will  restore  the 
moon  again,  as  full  and  as  bright  as  ever." 

His  coolness,  courage,  and  undisturbed  self-possession 
excited  my  highest  admiration,  and  I  immediately  trans 
lated  his  words  to  Culo  Azul,  who  again  made  them 
known  to  his  people.  Under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Whip- 
pie,  I  added: 

"  We  can  hit  the  moon,  as  you  may  see  for  yourselves," 
— at  this  time  that  luminary  was  obscured  one-half  by 
the  earth's  shadow — "and  it  is  also  in  our  power  to  re 
store  it  to  health  and  strength;  but  if  you  harm  us  or  in 
jure  our  instruments,  then  the  moon  must  remain  dead, 
and  can  never  be  restored.  We  have  only  the  kindliest 
feelings  toward  the  Pimos  and  Maricopas,  and  we  only 
wished  to  destroy  the  moon  in  order  to  prevent  its  light 
from  guiding  the  Apaches  and  Yumas  to  your  villages. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  101 

But  as  our  brethren  have  signified  their  dislike  to  the 
proceeding,  we  will  restore  the  moon  to  its  original 
splendor.  If  in  a  little  while  it  does  not  reappear,  our 
Pimo  and  Maricopa  friends  may  take  their  vengeance 
and  destroy  our  instruments.  But  they  must  remember 
that  we  alone  are  the  medicine  men;  our  brethren  in  the 
camp  are  as  innocent  as  you,  and  should  not  be  disturbed 
or  held  accountable  in  any  event." 

This  promise  restored  some  degree  of  tranquility,  and 
they  gave  us  their  word  not  to  injure  or  interfere  with 
our  unsuspecting  comrades. 

It  has  often  occurred  to  me  what  a  dreadful  fate  would 
have  been  ours  if  a  sudden  storm  had  arisen  at  that  pe 
riod,  and  prevented  the  moon  from  being  seen  again  im 
mediately  after  the  eclipse.  But  the  heavens  were  spe 
cially  bright  and  cloudless,  and  not  the  slightest  incident 
occurred  to  dash  our  courage.  In  the  course  of  time  the 
observation  reached  its  fullest  extent,  and  the  anxiety  of 
our  Indian  friends  became  intense.  Yells  and  meanings 
rent  the  still  night  air,  maledictions  and  curses  were  lav 
ished  upon  us,  weapons  were  drawn,  and  every  indica 
tion  given  of  speedy  dismissal  from  this  vale  of  tears; 
but  the  grand  old  chief,  who  seemed  to  have  absolute 
control  of  his  people,  stood  between  us  and  harm,  and 
quietly  awaited  the  issue.  By  and  by  the  moon  began 
to  exhibit  her  brilliant  shield  once  more.  Its  silver  disc 
grew  larger  and  larger.  Gradually,  but  surely,  it  sailed 
from  behind  the  earth's  shadow  and  assumed  its  pristine 
proportions,  until  she  was  again  unveiled  in  full  majesty. 
To  describe  the  jo}^,  the  amazement  and  the  homage  of 
the  savages  is  quite  impossible.  We  were  lifted  up  on 
their  arms,  patted  on  our  backs,  embraced,  and  dignified 
to  their  utmost  extent.  All  this  time  Mr.  Whipple  had 
been  quietly  taking  his  observations  and  writing  them  in 


102  LIFE    AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

his  book.  At  no  period  did  lie  appear  ruffled  or  con 
cerned.  His  equanimity  won  respect,  and  his  influence 
with  the  Pimos  became  all  powerful.  In  a  subsequent 
chapter  will  be  found  detailed  another  and  no  less  curi 
ous  incident  among  those  Indians. 

The  Pimos  and  Maricopas  both  pretend  to  trace  their 
descent  from  Moctezuma,  whoever  that  renowned  gentle 
man  may  be,  but  they  have  entirely  different  ideas  about 
the  matter.  The  Pimos  believe  Moctezuma  to  have  been 
a  god,  who  resided  on  earth  for  a  time,  and  became  the 
founder  of  their  race,  but  was  treacherously  and  basely 
murdered.  Before  yielding  up  the  ghost,  he  threatened 
his  slayers  with  future  punishment,  foretold  the  scatter 
ing  of  the  various  tribes  he  had  created  and  organized, 
and  promised  to  come  again  and  assume  control  of  their 
affairs  when  all  his  children  should  be  reunited  under  his 
rule. 

The  Pimos  invariably  resort  to  the  ceremony  of  crema 
tion  when  any  of  their  tribe  dies.  The  body  is  placed 
upon  a  funeral  pyre  and  rapidly  consumed.  No  effort  is 
made  to  collect  the  ashes  of  the  dead,  but  all  his  friends 
and  relatives  take  a  portion,  and,  mixing  them  with  the 
dissolved  gum  of  the  mesquit  tree  (which  is  a  species  of 
the  acacia,  and  yields  a  concrete  juice  similar  to  gum 
arabic),  they  daub  their  faces  with  the  odious  compound, 
and  permit  it  to  remain  until  it  is  worn  away. 

The  chastity  of  their  women  is  proverbial,  but  this  is 
probably  more  the  result  of  the  fear  of  detection  than 
from  any  natural  virtue.  Among  themselves  loose  wo 
men  are  tolerated,  but  the  Pimo  girl  who  may  be  caught 
in  carnal  intercourse  with  any  other  than  a  Pimo  man, 
runs  nine  chances  out  of  ten  to  be  stoned  to  death.  If  a 
white  man  be  a  trader  among  them,  and  has  been  there 
for  a  long  time,  and  has  acquired  something  of  their. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  103 

language ,  lie  is  more  or  less  considered  entitled  to  the 
privileges  of  the  tribe;  but,  even  then,  disclosure  of  con 
cubinage  is  attended  with  imminent  danger  to  the  guilty 
female.  The  women  of  this  tribe  are  particularly  fine 
looking,  possessing  elegant  forms,  nicely  shaped  and  well 
tapered  limbs,  brilliant  and  perfect  white  teeth,  small 
hands,  and  the  easy  carriage  of  the  unfettered  Indian 
girl  who  never  saw  a  pair  of  corsets,  nor  inclosed  her 
form  in  the  net-work  of  crinoline.  The  men  are  rugged 
and  tolerably  well  made,  but  in  nowise  remarkable  for 
size  nor  physical  strength.  Their  powers  of  endurance 
are  about  on  a  par  with  most  other  Indian  races,  but  bear 
no  comparison  with  those  of  the  Apaches.  They  are  al 
most  all  bow-legged,  with  long  trunks  and  arms,  deep 
chested,  narrow  shouldered  and  big  headed.  Their  noses 
are  natter,  wider  and  more  fleshy  than  those  of  other 
tribes,  while  their  feet,  in  both  sexes,  are  unusually  large 
and  splayed.  Prior  to  receiving  muskets  and  ammu 
nition  from  the  American  Government — a  favor  granted 
them  through  the  wise  intercession  of  Gen.  James  H. 
Caiieton — their  weapons  consisted  of  a  bow  and  arrow, 
and  a  lance  or  knife.  Their  arrows  differ  from  those  of 
all  the  Apache  tribes  in  having  only  two  feathers  instead 
of  three,  and  in  being  much  longer,  with  the  single  ex 
ception  of  the  Coyoteros,  who  use  very  long  arrows  of 
reed,  finished  out  with  some  hard  wood,  and  an  iron  or 
flint  head,  but  invariably  with  three  feathers  at  the  op 
posite  end. 

The  Maricopas  invariably  bury  their  dead,  and  mock 
the  ceremony  of  cremation.  They,  like  the  Pimos,  and 
most  other  Indian  tribes,  believe  in  the  existence  of  two 
gods,  who  divide  the  universe  between  them.  One  of 
the  divinities  is  the  author  of  all  good,  the  other  the 
father  of  all  evil.  The  good  god  is  deemed  a  quiet  and 


104  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

inactive  spirit,  who  takes  no  decisive  part  in  the  affairs 
of  mankind,  but  relies  more  upon  their  desire  to  escape 
the  evils  brought  upon  them  by  the  bad  spirit  than  upon 
any  direct  efforts  of  his  own.  He  contents  himself  with 
the  knowledge  that  after  mankind  has  been  sufficiently 
tormented  by  his  great  adversary,  they  will  seek  him  as 
a  source  of  refuge.  On  the  other  hand,  they  invest  the 
evil  spirit  with  powers  of  unequaled  and  inconceivable 
activity.  He  is  everywhere  at  once,  and  takes  the  lead 
in  all  schemes  and  pursuits,  with  the  view  of  converting 
them  to  his  ultimate  use.  The  first  duty  of  the  Indian, 
exposed  as  he  is  to  the  influences  of  these  two  spirits,  is 
to  propitiate  the  most  active  of  the  two,  and  the  one  which 
will  control  his  every  day  avocations.  His  next  object  is 
to  approach  the  good  spirit  and  ask  his  pardon  for  having 
made  terms  with  his  one  great  enemy.  This  method  is 
something  in  the  style  of  Louis  XI's  prayers,  but  is  really 
in  use  among  these  Indians.  Their  women  are  not  noted 
for  chastity,  but  are  very  cautious  against  detection,  which 
is  severely  punished,  although  not  to  the  extent  that  ob 
tains  among  the  Pimos.  They  are  quite  as  good  looking 
as  their  neighbors,  and  the  men  generally  are  credited 
with  a  superior  reputation  as  warriors.  Their  dress,  arms, 
accoutrements,  and  general  style  of  person  are  so  nearly 
similar  as  not  to  arrest  the  attention  of  travelers;  but 
their  religion,  language,  laws  and  customs  are  wholly 
different.  The  Maricopas  seem  to  have  more  general 
recklessness  and  cordiality  of  manner  than  the  Pimos, 
who  are  constrained  and  stiff  in  their  intercourse  with 
strangers.  The  Pimo  believes  in  a  future  state,  in  which 
material  modifications  will  exist;  but  the  Maricopa  thinks 
that  the  existence  of  man,  after  death,  closely  resembles 
his  earthly  career — that  his  wants  and  requirements  will 
be  very  similar  to  those  he  experienced  in  this  world. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  105 

Acting  on  this  belief  he  will  sacrifice  at  the  grave  of  a 
warrior  all  the  property  of  which  he  died  possessed,  to 
gether  with  all  in  possession  of  his  various  relatives.  The 
decease  of  a  warrior  therefore  becomes  a  bona  fide  cause 
for  mourning;  for  each  of  his  immediate  relations  is 
stripped  of  any  goods  they  may  own,  in  order  that  his 
spirit  may  assume  a  proper  place  and  distinction  among 
his  predecessors  in  the  other  world.  This  solemnity  of 
course  impoverishes  all  his  relations,  and  its  exaction 
creates  sincere  grief.  How  completely  is  this  custom  at 
variance  with  ours.  How  clearly  does  it  exhibit  the  differ 
ence  between  savage  and  enlightened  views  on  a  point  of 
no  common  importance.  This  custom,  so  strictly  enforced 
among  the  Maricopas,  does  not  exist  among  the  Pimos; 
but  in  the  case  of  an  intermarriage  between  the  two  tribes 
the  deceased  is  invariably  sepultured  in  rigid  accordance 
with  the  views  of  his  or  her  tribe.  Self-interest  is, 
after  all,  as  strong  a  motive  among  Indians  as  among 
whites,  and  for  this  reason  intermarriages  between  the 
two  tribes  are  so  rare,  even  after  one  hundred  years  of 
undivided  co-existence  on  the  same  lands,  and  prosecu 
tion  of  the  same  general  objects. 

A  more  marked  dissimilarity  is  observable  in  their  su 
perstitions  regarding  warfare.  The  American  officer  can 
take  a  body  of  Pimos  and  follow  up  the  trail  of  a  hostile 
force  until  he  has  run  his  game  to  earth,  when  a  fight 
takes  place,  in  which  he  can  depend  upon  the  pluck  and 
courage  of  his  followers;  but  should  the  contest  result 
in  the  death  of  a  single  enemy,  or  in  that  of  a  Pimo,  he 
must  bid  adieu  to  any  further  effort  for  the  time  being, 
for  the  Pimos  will  immediately  about  face  and  return  to 
their  villages,  to  undergo  the  process  of  purification  from 
blood.  No  threats,  no  inducements  can  make  them  alter 
or  modify  this  course.  It  is  a  part  of  their  religion,  and 


106  LIFE   AMOXG   THE   APACHES. 

they  will  observe  its  dictates.  One,  or  twenty,  or  a  hun 
dred  of  the  enemy  may  be  killed  during  the  engagement, 
but  if  blood  be  spilled  the  Pimos  will  return  to  their 
villages  for  the  purpose  above  stated.  Ifot  so  with  the 
Maricopas,  although  they  are  prone  to  abandon  the  war 
path  after  the  enemy  has  been  met  and  overcome;  but  if 
led  by  energetic  white  men  they  will  continue  and  obey 
them  to  the  end.  The  reader  cannot  fail  to  have  re 
marked  some  singularly  diverse  traits  of  character  in 
these  two  tribes;  and  this  difference  is  the  more  extra 
ordinary  in  view  of  the  fact  that  they  have  been  domiciled 
together  for  so  many  years,  and  been  acting  under  one 
common  bond  of  sympathy  and  interest.  It  only  affords 
another  convincing  proof,  if  any  such  were  required,  of 
the  unchangeable  and  unimpressible  character  of  the 
North  American  savage. 

The  country  inhabited  by  the  Pimos  and  Maricopas  is 
a  dead  flat  with  clayey  soil,  which  is  extremely  tenacious 
when  wet,  and  sparsely  covered  with  mesquit  trees.  It 
is  a  fine  wheat  land,  and  the  Indians  raise  very  abundant 
crops  of  wheat,  melons,  pumpkins  and  corn;  but  their 
supplies  are  almost  wholly  limited  to  these  articles.  As 
before  recited,  they  manufacture  a  very  superior  quality 
of  cotton  blanket,  which  will  turn  rain,  and  is  warm,  com 
fortable  and  lasting.  Dr.  David  Wooster  of  San  Fran 
cisco,  who  resided  among  them  for  some  time,  and  com 
piled  a  vocabulary  of  their  language,  is,  perhaps,  better 
informed  with  regard  to  these  tribes  than  any  other  white 
man.  He  was  indefatigable  in  his  researches,  and  re 
ceived  the  confidence  and  affection  of  these  Indians  for 
his  many  benevolent  acts,  and  his  self-sacrificing  atten 
tion  to  their  sick,  without  the  hope  or  prospect  of  pay  or 
reward.  The  remembrance  of  his  many  kind  deeds  is 
cherished  among  them,  and  they  charged  me,  on  my  last 
visit,  to  make  known  that  fact  to  their  benefactor. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACfl       .  107 

"We  left  the  Piino  villages  with  much  misgiving,  as  we 
had  li-arned  that  the  Yumas,  ou  the  Colorado  river,  had 
declared  war  with  the  Americans,  and  our  party  at  that 
time  was  only  ten  strong,  seven  Americans  and  three 
Mexicans,  among  whom  was  the  step-father  of  Inez,  who 
had  consented  to  act  as  guide  and  arriero  for  our  party. 
Just  as  we  were  about  to  depart  an  incident  occurred  ex 
planatory  of  Indian  character,  and  for  that  reason  worthy 
of  a  place  in  this  work. 

Gen.  Garcia  Conde  had  been  to  the  Colorado  river 
with  his  command,  and  returned  to  the  Pinio  villages, 
bringing  with  him  a  noted  Yuina  chief,  named  Antonio. 
This  brave  had  signalized  himself  in  the  frequent  con 
tests  between  the  Yumas  and  Maricopas,  and  had  earned 
the  undying  vengeance  of  the  latter  tribe.  Gen.  Conde, 
however,  persuaded  him  to  act  as  guide  for  his  party, 
promising  to  protect  him  from  all  harm,  and  to  have  him 
safely  returned  to  his  country  and  people.  On  arriving 
at  the  Maricopa  village,  which  was  the  first  to  the  west 
ward,  it  was  soon  bruited  abroad  that  Antonio  was  with 
the  Mexicans  and  under  their  protection.  Hundreds  of 
Maricopas  and  Pimos  visited  Gen.  Conde's  camp  to  get 
a  sight  of  their  famed  enemy,  but  no  overt  demonstra 
tions  were  made,  as  Gen.  Conde  warned  them  that  lie 
would  protect  Antonio  at  all  hazards,  and  they  had  no 
disposition  to  provoke  his  power  to  enforce  his  promise. 
The  next  morning  Antonio  was  found  dead,  his  body 
pierced  in  many  places.  Gen.  Conde  was  much  grieved, 
but  as  the  deed  had  already  been  consummated,  and 
there  was  no  clue  whatever  of  the  murderers,  he  con- 
tt-nted  himself  with  giving  decent  Christian  sepulture  to 
the  remains,  and  then  immediately  prosecuted  his  jour 
ney. 

Two  days  afterward  we  passed  down  the  road,  going 


108  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

westward,  and  it  was  my  lot  to  be  something  like  a  mile 
or  two  in  the  rear  of  my  comrades,  but  being  better 
mounted  than  they,  this  fact  gave  me  no  concern,  es 
pecially  as  I  knew  that  we  were  among  peaceful  and  in 
offensive  tribes.  Just  south  of  the  last" village  inhabited 
by  the  Maricopas,  a  low,  flat-topped  hill  is  met,  with  its 
northern  base  close  to  the  highway  along  which  I  had  to 
pass.  On  arriving  near  this  hill,  I  observed  a  very  large 
crowd  of  Indians  on  its  summit  and  sides,  who  appeared 
to  be  performing  a  series  of  most  unusual  antics,  accom 
panied  with  occasional  discordant  and  ear-splitting 
yells.  At  first  I  feared  that  my  comrades  had  commit 
ted  some  act  that  had  aroused  their  vengeance,  but  cooler 
consideration  convinced  me  that  they  were  not  the  men 
to  do  foolish  acts.  I  rode  forward  at  a  round  gallop, 
with  the  intention  of  passing  the  hill  and  its  occupants 
as  quickly  as  possible  without  appearing  to  be  in  flight, 
but  I  was  not  destined  to  escape  so  easily.  Four  or  five 
stalwart  warriors  placed  themselves  in  the  road  and  beck 
oned  me  to  hold  up,  and,  believing  discretion  to  be  the 
better  part  of  valor,  on  this  occasion  at  least,  I  obeyed 
their  summons.  One  took  my  horse,  while  another  as 
sisted  me,  most  courteously,  to  dismount,  and  then 
taking  my  hand,  led  me  up  the  ascent,  accompanied  by 
his  associates.  It  beggars  all  my  descriptive  powers  to 
depict  the  scene  which  met  my  astonished  gaze  when  I 
reached  the  summit  and  was  introduced  inside  the  inner 
ring.  From  four  to  five  thousand  Indians  were  present. 
The  squaws  were  formed  in  three  complete  circles  near 
est  the  center,  leaving  a  space  of  two  hundred  yards 
diameter.  Around  these  were  great  numbers  of  warriors, 
of  greater  or  less  fame,  and  boys  from  ten  to  fifteen  years 
of  age.  In  the  center  of  the  open  space  a  human  head, 
and  the  forearms  with  hands  attached,  were  placed  upon 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  109 


r 


the  ground  —the  head  standing  on  the  stump  of  the  neck, 
which  was  supported  by  a  stick  driven  into  the  ground 
and  thrust  up  through  the  throat,  and  the  arms  and 
hands  crossed,  one  over  the  other,  immediately  in  front 
of  the  face.  I  recognized  the  head  to  be  that  of  Antonio, 
the  murdered  Yuma  chief,  and  concluded  that  the  pres 
ent  gathering  was  held  for  the  purpose  of  a  grand  jubilee 
over  his  death.  My  conjecture  was  correct,  but  before  I 
had  time  to  reflect,  I  was  seized  by  the  hands  of  two 
powerful  Indians,  who  joined  others,  until  a  small  ring 
of  sixty  or  seventy  were  got  together,  and  was  hurried 
round  and  round,  in  a  regular  dance,  about  the  horrid 
spectacle  for  the  space  of  several  minutes.  Showing* 
signs  of  fatigue  from  the  violent  rotary  motion,  I  was 
rescued  by  a  friendly  Pimo,  who  said:  "Do  you  like 
this  thing  ?" 

"Certainly,"  I  replied,  "it  is  your  way  of  rejoicing 
over  the  death  of  your  enemies,  and  as  the  Pimos  and 
Maricopas  are  our  friends,  I  do  not  see  why  I  should 
not  rejoice  with  you." 

This  response  delighted  him  greatly,  and  he  immedi 
ately  translated  it  to  the  multitude,  who  greeted  me  with 
terrific  yells  of  approbation.  Availing  myself  of  the 
good  feeling  engendered,  I  desired  my  robust  friend, 
whose  every  limb  quivered  with  excitement,  to  state  to 
the  multitude  that  my  party  had  gone  on  a  long  time 
before;  that  the  country  over  which  I  had  to  pass  was 
frequently  the  scene  of  Apache  horrors;  and  that  I  had 
sufficiently  expressed  my  sympathy  with  the  occasion  to 
be  allowed  to  depart  in  peace.  This  speech  was  received 
with  another  chorus  of  yells,  and  I  was  gently  conducted 
down  the  steep,  at  the  base  of  which  I  found  my  horse 
in  safe  keeping.  My  conductors  were  warmly  thanked, 
and  I  set  off  .at  full  gallop  to  join  my  comrades,  delighted 
6 


110  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

at  having  so  easily  escaped  the  well  meant  but  revolting 
hospitality  of  the  savages. 

Twelve  miles  further  on  we  entered  the  Gila  Bend 
desert.  At  this  point  the  Gila  river  trends  to  the  north 
and  describes  a  curve  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
around  the  northern  base  of  a  long  range  of  mountains, 
resuming  its  original  course  westward  about  fifty  miles 
from  the  point  of  departure.  This  space  of  fifty  miles 
is  entirely  without  water,  and  is  the  highway  for  the  Coy- 
oteros  and  some  of  the  Sierra  Blanca  Apaches  making 
raids  upon  Sonora.  The  probabilities  were  very  much 
in  favor  of  meeting  one  or  more  war  parties  of  those 
tribes,  and  we  kept  a  strict  lookout  during  the  transit, 
but  failed  to  see  any,  although  we  may  have  been  ob 
served  by  them. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  after  leaving  the 
Pimos,  we  came  upon  the  scene  of  the  Oatman  massacre, 
and  as  the  coyotes  had  dug  up  the  remains  of  the  mur 
dered  party,  they  were  carefully  and  safely  re-interred 
by  us.  Here  was  another  caution  to  beware  the  treach 
ery  and  malice  of  the  Apaches.  The  lesson  was  well 
heeded  by  our  little  band;  but  we  felt  ourselves  able  to 
whip  five  times  our  number  in  fair  fight,  and  the  strictest 
vigilance  was  observed  in  passing  any  place  which  could 
shelter  an  ambush.  Next  day  we  camped  on  the  Gila, 
under  a  splendid  grove  of  high  and  clear  cotton-wood 
trees.  There  was  no  underbrush  for  hundreds  of  yards 
in  every  direction,  and  our  rifles  could  easily  reach  the 
surrounding  expanse,  in  case  of  attack,  while  the  friendly 
trees  would  afford  us  good  shelter.  Every  one  was  busy 
— some  collecting  dry  wood  for  the  guard  fire,  others  in 
cooking,  others  again  in  securing  the  animals  and  pro 
viding  their  food — when  I  suddenly  perceived  an  Indian 
running  toward  us  with  both  arms  raised  above  his  head. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  Ill 

I  was  about  to  draw  a  bead  upon  the  fellow,  but  seeing 
that  he  was  alone  and  unarmed,  I  refrained,  and  beck 
oned  him  to  come  forward,  which  he  did  with  decided 
good  will.     He  spoke  Spanish  well  enough  for  all  prac 
tical  purposes,  and  informed  us  that  he  was  a  Maricopa 
and  had  been  captured  by  the  Yumas,  together  with  a 
woman  of  his  tribe,  some  months  before,  but  had  man 
aged  to  effect  his  escape  a  few  days  before  meeting  our 
party,  and  as  he  and  his  companion  were  starving,  they 
came  to  ask  our  assistance,  having  struck  our  trail  at  the 
entrance  to  the  camp  ground.     He  then  uttered  a  pecu 
liar  cry,  and  was  immediately  joined  by  the  woman,  who 
had  concealed  herself  to  await  the  issue  of  his  visit.    The 
poor  woman  presented  a  thin,  worn  and  suffering  ap 
pearance,  which  did  not  require  the  use  of  language  to 
explain.     Our  first  care  was  to  supply  these  poor  crea 
tures  with  food  and  a  spare  blanket  each;  for,  as  we  had 
left  the  higher  and  colder  regions,  and  were  entering 
upon  the  warmest  known  on  the  globe,  and  as  our  means 
for   transportation  were   becoming  beautifully  less,  we 
could  afford  to  be  generous  in  this  respect,  especially  as 
the  probabilities  were  greatly  in  favor  of  abandoning  or 
cacheing  the  major  part  of  our  effects,  among  which  were 
a  number  of  costly  instruments,  which  could  neither  be 
eaten  nor  drank.   No  further  questions  were^pressed  upon 
our  guests  until  their  hunger  had  been  appeased,  when, 
sitting  at  the  camp  fire,  the  man  gave  us  the  following 
narration,  corroborated  in  all  points  by  his  companion. 
Some  five  months  previous,  a  large  war  party  of  the 
Yunias  had  come  up  the  Gila  with  the  intention  of  cut 
ting  off  small  detachments  of  Maricopas  and  Pimos,  who 
annually  visit  the  Gila  Bend  desert  to  collect  the' fruit 
of  the  petajaya,  a  gigantic  species  of  cactus.     This  fruit 
is  dried  in  the  sun  and  closely  resembles  our  figs  in  point 


112  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

of  size,  taste  and  shape,  but  the  external  husk  or  cover 
ing  is  not  edible.  They  also  macerate  it  in  water  after 
being  dried,  when  the  saccharine  qualities  causes  the 
liquid  to  ferment,  and  after  such  fermentation  it  becomes 
highly  intoxicating.  It  is  upon  this  liquor  that  the  Mar- 
icopas  and  Pimos  get  drunk  once  a  year,  the  revelry  con 
tinuing  for  a  week  or  two  at  a  time;  but  it  is  also  a  uni 
versal  custom  with  them  to  take  regular  turns,  so  that 
only  one-third  of  the  party  is  supposed  to  indulge  at 
one  time,  the  remainder  being  required  to  take  care  of 
their  stimulated  comrades,  and  protect  them  from  injur 
ing  each  other  or  being  injured  by  other  tribes.  The 
Yumas  are  well  acquainted  with  the  custom,  and  the 
party  referred  to  had  gone  up  the  Gila  to  profit  by  the 
circumstance.  In  that  raid  they  succeeded  in  killing  a 
few  Maricopas  and  taking  prisoners  the  man  and  woman 
who  were  then  our  guests  and  informants.  Of  course 
any  species  of  labor  and  hardship  that  could  be  imposed 
they  were  compelled  to  undergo,  until  the  arrival  of  a 
band  of  twenty-one  Americans  with  a  great  many  sheep 
which  they  were  driving  to  California.  The  military, 
consisting  of  a  Sergeant  and  ten  men,  had  been  driven 
off  by  the  Yumas  just  before  the  advent  of  these  visitors, 
who  were  wholly  ignorant  of  the  fact,  and  quite  unpre 
pared  to  expect  the  hostility  which  terminated  with  their 
massacre.  They  were  received  by  the  Yumas  with  every 
profession  of  friendship,  the  Indians  bringing  in  large 
quantities  of  slim,  straight  and  dried  cotton-wood 
branches  to  build  fires  with,  and  rendering  them  other 
kindly  services,  so  that  all  apprehension  was  completely 
lulled.  "While  the  evening  meal  was  in  preparation,  the 
Yumas  interspersed  themselves  thickly  among  the  Amer 
icans,  who  had  some  four  fires  going,  built  by  the 
Yumas,  who  had  placed  the  long,  smooth  cotton-wood 


LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES.  113 

branches  across  each  other,  in  every  direction,  and  the 
fire  as  nearly  to  the  center  as  possible.  So  soon  as  those 
sticks  had  burned  through  so  as  to  leave  an  effective 
club  at  each  end,  a  single  sharp  cry  gave  the  signal, 
upon  which  each  Yuma  present,  probably  a  hundred, 
seized  his  burning  brand,  and  commenced  the  work  of 
death,  dealing  blows  to  the  nearest  American,  while  an 
other  large  party  rushed  fully  armed  upon  the  scene, 
and  quickly  dispatched  their  unprepared  and  unsuspect 
ing  visitors.  The  Americans  fought  with  desperation, 
discharging  their  six-shooters  and  using  their  knives 
with  bloody  effect,  but  were  soon  overcome  by  resistless 
numbers,  and  slain  to  a  man.  It  was  during  this  con 
test,  which  engaged  the  whole  attention  of  the  Yumas, 
that  our  two  guests  managed  to  effect  their  escape.  They 
had  traveled  for  four  days  without  food,  hiding  them 
selves  from  morning  till  night,  and  prosecuting  their  way 
only  after  dark.  Seeing  a  small  party  of  Americans, 
whom  they  knew  were  always  friendly  to  their  tribe,  and 
incited  by  the  double  motives  of  obtaining  food  and 
warning  us  of  our  danger,  they  had  sought  our  camp. 

Our  danger  was  indeed  imminent.  Our  party  con 
sisted  only  of  seven  Americans  and  three  Mexicans,  and 
our  ammunition  had  been  reduced  to  forty  rounds  for 
each  weapon.  A  party  of  well  armed  men,  more  than 
three  times  our  number,  had  been  massacred  only  a  few 
days  before  by  a  hostile  tribe  of  Indians,  through  the 
heart  of  whose  country  we  would  be  compelled  to  make 
our  way,  if  we  continued.  The  enemy  had  driven  off 
the  miserably  small  garrison,  and  were  flushed  with  the 
success  of  their  last  great  robbery  and  murder.  The 
Colorado  river  was  impassable  without  a  launch,  and 
that  was  in  possession  of  the  Indians.  "We  were  in  a 
"regular  fix/'  and  a  council  of  war  was  immediately 


114  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

held.  I  am  free  to  acknowledge  that  I  was  afraid  to  go 
forward,  and  used  every  argument  to  show  the  foolhard- 
iness  of  such  an  attempt,  but  all  my  objections  were  met 
by  the  imperturbable  Dr.  Webb,  who  contented  himself 
with  saying — "  Our  provisions  are  nearly  exhausted,  our 
ammunition  is  nearly  expended,  we  are  ordered  to  go 
on,  and  it  is  our  duty.  We  may  be  killed,  but  it  is  bet 
ter  to  die  fighting,  since  we  have  been  warned  and  are 
on  our  guard,  than  to  die  of  starvation  on  these  terrible 
deserts.  In  any  case,  it  is  only  a  choice  of  deaths,  but 
it  is  certain  destruction  to  turn  back,  while  we  may  man 
age  to  escape  or  pass  the  Yumas  in  safety."  It  was 
finally  agreed  to  adopt  his  views — keep  a  sharp  lookout, 
fight  if  need  be,  to  the  bitter  end,  and  die  like  men  in 
the  proper  discharge  of  a  recognized  duty.  This  deter 
mination  was  duly  imparted  to  our  Maricopa  friends, 
who  could  not  restrain  expressions  of  amazement,  and 
gave  us  some  additional  valuable  information  about  the 
existence  of  the  launches  in  which  to  cross  the  Colorado, 
the  nature  and  habits  of  the  Yumas,  their  treacherous 
manner  of  approach,  and  the  best  means  for  us  to  adopt. 
Those  kindly  people  were  then  supplied  with  provisions 
enough  to  last  them  to  their  villages,  and  took  leave  of 
us  with  unfeigned  regret,  expecting  never  to  see  one  of 
our  number  again.  My  next  meeting  with  them  will  be 
found  in  a  succeeding  chapter. 

Early  next  morning  we  resumed  our  journey  down  the 
Gila,  and  prosecuted  it  for  several  days  until  we  reached 
the  Colorado  near  its  junction  with  the  Gila.  At  that 
period  the  whole  country  was  a  wilderness,  and  the  place 
now  occupied  by  large  houses  and  well  filled  stores,  with 
an  American  population  of  six  or  seven  hundred  souls, 
was  waste  and  desolate.  The  approach  to  the  river  was 
hidden  by  a  dense  mass  of  young  willow  trees,  through 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  115 

which  we  had  to  pass  in  order  to  reach  water,  of  which 
ourselves  and  animals  were  greatly  in  need.  The  ther 
mometer  stood  at  118  degrees  Fahrenheit,  in  the  shade, 
and  we  had  marched  twenty-four  miles  that  day  without 
water.  On  emerging  from  the  willows  to  the  banks  of 
the  broad,  red,  swift  and  turbid  stream  which  met  our 
gaze,  we  discovered,  on  the  opposite  side,  within  easy 
rifle  reach,  a  large  number  of  Yuma  men,  women  and 
children,  a  fact  which  assured  us  that  our  approach  had 
not  been  known  by  that  tribe.  They  instantly  fled  in  all 
directions,  thereby  proving  their  fear  and  suspicions, 
whi*ch  would  not  have  been  entertained  if  the  two  people 
had  been  at  peace  with  each  other.  Having  watered  our 
suffering  animals,  we  prosecuted  our  way  down  the  Col 
orado,  and  encamped  upon  an  open  sand  beach,  with 
three  hundred  yards  of  clear  ground  in  the  rear  and  the 
river  in  front.  No  weapon  in  possession  of  the  Yumas 
could  reach  anything  like  that  distance,  while  our  rifles 
commanded  the  whole  area.  Our  animals  were  drawn 
up  in  line  on  the  river  side  with  a  careful  guard,  and 
were  fed  with  an  abundance  of  young  willow  tops, 
which  they  eat  greedily.  Our  fires  were  well  supplied 
and  kept  blazing  brightly,  so  as  to  shed  light  on  the  sur 
rounding  shore  and  disclose  the  approach  of  any  enemy. 
In  this  manner  we  passed  an  anxious  night. 

The  next  day,  soon  after  dawn,  an  Indian  presented 
himself  unarmed,  and  with  reiterated  assurances  of  the 
most  cordial  friendship  for  the  Americans.  He  subse 
quently  proved  to  be  Caballo  en  Pelo,  or  the  "Naked 
Horse,"  the  head  chief  of  the  Yumas.  Our  reception 
was  not  calculated  to  excite  his  hopes,  every  one  extend 
ing  his  left  hand,  and  keeping  a  revolver  in  his  right, 
and  it  was  not  long  before  Caballo  en  Pelo  found  that 
he  -had  committed  himself  to  the  tender  mercies  of  men 


116  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

who  entertained  the  deepest  suspicion  of  his  professed 
amity.  To  test  his  sincerity,  Dr.  Webb  asked  what  had 
become  of  the  soldiers,  to  which  he  replied  that  they  had 
voluntarily  withdrawn  three  months  before.  This  we 
knew  to  be  a  lie,  as  Gen.  Conde  had  informed  us  of  their 
presence  with  a  couple  of  good  launches  to  assist  the 
crossing  of  immigrants,  and  we  had  met  the  General 
only  twenty  days  previous,  when  this  information  was 
received  from  him,  who  had  come  directly  from  the  Col 
orado  in  eleven  days.  The  report  of  our  Maricopa  visit 
ors  also  disproved  the  statement  of  Caballo  en  Pelo,  and 
we  immediately  consulted  together  as  to  our  future 
course,  which  was  afterward  carried  into  effect,  as  the 
reader  will  discover,  and  to  it  I  attribute  our  escape  from 
the  treacherous  Yumas. 

We  subsequently  learned  that  the  persons  massacred 
by  the  Yumas  just  before  our  arrival,  were  John  Gallan- 
tin  and  his  band.  This  man  had  the  reputation  of  being- 
one  of  the  worst  scoundrels  who  ever  existed  even  in 
that  demoralized  and  villainous  region.  It  is  reported 
..of  him,  that  the  Governor  of  Chihuahua,  having  offered 
a  premium  of  thirty  dollars  for  every  Apache  scalp,  Gal- 
lantin  got  together  a  band  of  cut-throats  and  went  into 
the  business.  But  all  his  activity  and  cupidity  failed  to 
find  the  Apaches,  and  scalps  became  very  scarce.  De 
termined  to  make  money  out  of  the  Governor's  terms,  he 
commenced  killing  Papago,  Opatah  and  Yaqui  Indians, 
whose  scalps  he  sold  in  considerable  numbers  at  thirty 
dollars  each,  declaring  that  they  had  been  taken  from 
the  heads  of  Apaches.  But  the  ease  with  which  Gallan- 
tin  and  his  band  supplied  themselves,  without  producing 
any  sensible  diminution  of  Apache  raids,  excited  sus 
picion,  and  he  was  actually  caught  taking  the  scalps 
from  the  heads  of  several  Mexicans  murdered  by  his 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  117 

people  in  cold  blood.  Finding  that  he  had  been  discov 
ered  in  his  unspeakable  villainies,  he  fled  to  New  Mexico, 
where,  by  stealing  and  by  purchase,  he  collected  about 
two  thousand  five  hundred  head  of  sheep,  with  which  he 
was  passing  into  California,  when  he  encountered  his 
well-merited  fate  at  the  hands  of  the  Yumas.  Not  a 
soul  of  his  band  escaped  death. 

At  the  period  about  which  I  am  writing,  Arizona  and 
New  Mexico  were  cursed  by  the  presence  of  two  or  three 
hundred  of  the  most  infamous  scoundrels  it  is  possible 
to  conceive.  Innocent  and  unoffending  men  were  shot 
down  or  bowie-knived  merely  for  the  pleasure  of  witness 
ing  their  death  agonies.  Men  walked  the  streets  and 
public  squares  with  double-barreled  shot  guns,  and 
hunted  each  other  as  sportsmen  hunt  for  game.  In 
the  graveyard  of  Tucson  there  were  forty-seven  graves  of 
white  men  in  1860,  ten  years  after  the  events  above  re 
cited,  and  of  that  number  only  two  had  died  natural 
deaths,  all  the  rest  being  murdered  in  broils  and  bar 
room  quarrels.  Since  Carleton's  occupation  of  those 
Territories  with  his  California  Column,  a  great  change 
for  the  better  has  taken  place,  and  this  melioration 
promises  to  gain  ground. 
6* 


CHAPTEE    X. 


Fort  Yuma. — The  Yuma  Indians. — Desperate  Situation. — Dr.  Webb's  Bluntness. 
— Caballo  en  Pelo. — Method  of  Camping. — Yuma  Chiefs  our  Prisoners. — 
The  Launch. — Crossing  the  Colorado. — March  into  the  Desert. — Release  of 
the  Yumas.— Sandstorm  in  the  Desert.— Final  Escape  from  the  Yumas.— 
Sufferings  on  the  Desert. — Carisso  Creek. — "Vallecito. — Hospitality  of  Army 
Officers. — Col.  Heintzleman. — Yumas  Reduced  to  Subjection. 


THE  foregoing  digression  is  excusable,  on  the  ground 
that  it  exposes,  to  some  extent,  the  character  of  the 
American  people  who  first  made  the  intimate  acquaint 
ance  of  the  Indian  tribes  occupying  the  country  on  the 
direct  route  of  migration  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pa 
cific  States,  and,  in  a  measure,  accounts  for  their  hostile 
advances.  The  Pimos  and  Maricopas  must,  however,  be 
excepted  from  this  category,  as  they  never,  on  any  occa 
sion,  no  matter  how  much  goaded,  exhibited  any  venge 
ful  or  adverse  spirit  toward  Americans.  In  like  man 
ner,  these  remarks  cannot  apply  to  the  Apaches,  who 
never,  at  any  time,  ceased  their  active  hostility  and 
treacherous  attacks. 

Soon  after  Caballo  en  Pelo,  or  the  "Naked  Horse," 
entered  our  camp,  he  made  a  signal  to  his  associates, 
and  we  soon  had  an  accession  of  fourteen  more,  embrac 
ing  several  of  the  principal  men  in  the  Yuma  tribe. 
They  were  all  unarmed,  and  each  one  expressed  his  de 
sire  to  maintain  friendly  relations  with  our  people.  Dr. 
Webb,  with  his  usual  blunt  honesty  of  character,  and 
total  neglect  of  policy,  abruptly  asked  them  —  "If 
you  mean  as  you  profess,  why  did  you  drive  away  the 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  119 

small  body  of  soldiers  left  here  to  assist  the  Americans 
in  crossing  the  river  and  supplying  their  needs,  and, 
why  did  you  massacre  the  American  party  with  sheep, 
who  came  here  on  their  road  to  California  ?"  These  un 
expected  queries  discomfited  the  savages,  and  threw  us 
"all  aback,"  as  may  readily  be  supposed.  Caballo  en 
Pelo,  Pasqual,  and  several  other  leading  men,  undertook 
to  deny  these  charges  in  toto,  but  we  were  too  well  in 
formed,  and  their  denials  only  tended  to  put  us  more 
than  ever  on  the  qui  vive. 

A  few  words  interchanged  between  the  members  of  our 
party  decided  our  course  of  action.  ^In  any  case  we 
were  fully  committed,  and  nothing  but  perilous  meas 
ures  could  decide  the  result  of  our  desperate  surround 
ings.  It  was  determined  to  hold  all  the  Yumas  present 
as  captives,  subject  to  instant  death  upon  the  exhibition 
of  any  hostility  on  the  part  of  that  tribe.  We  felt  that 
our  lives  were  at  the  mercy  of  those  savages,  but  also  re 
solved  that  we  should  not  be  sacrificed  without  a  corre 
sponding  amount  of  satisfaction.  Their  principal  men 
were  in  our  camp  unarmed;  we  had  the  disposal  of  their 
lives  in  our  power,  and  knew  that  they  could  not  escape 
in  the  event  of  any  hostile  act  against  our  small  party. 
These  deliberations  were  fully  unfolded  to  the  chiefs, 
who  were  informed  that  no  more  of  their  tribe  would  be 
admitted  into  our  camp  without  jeopardizing  the  safety 
of  those  already  there.  The}7  were  also  told,  that  hav 
ing  come  of  their  own  free  will,  they  would  be  expected 
to  remain  during  our  pleasure,  and,  in  the  meantime,  be 
fed  fronvour  very  limited  resources.  They  were  further 
more  informed  that  the  launch  which  they  had  taken 
from  the  soldiers  would  be  needed  for  our  conveyance 
across  the  Colorado,  and  as  we  knew  it  to  be  in  their 
possession,  it  must  be  forthcoming  when  required.  The 


120  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

first  act  of  Caballo  en  Pelo  was  to  signalize  his  people 
not  to  approach  our  camp,  which  was  located  on  a  sand- 
spit,  with  three  hundred  yards  clear  rifle  range  on  all 
sides  not  covered  by  the  river.  He  then  went  on  to  dis 
claim  any  inimical  design,  quoting  the  fact  that  he  and 
his  chief  men  had  sought  us  unarmed,  when  they  might 
have  overwhelmed  our  paltry  force  with  hundreds  of 
warriors.  He  also  stated  that  they  had  no  hostile  feel 
ings  toward  white  men  coming  from  the  east,  but  would 
oppose  all  from  the  west,  as  they  had  learned  that  a 
force  from  that  quarter  was  being  prepared  for  a  cam 
paign  against  them.  They  were  not  at  war  with  Amer 
icans  generally,  but  solely  with  those  whom  they  ex 
pected  from  California  with  warlike  intentions.  Caballo 
en  Pelo  then  asked  if  he  and  his  companions  were  to 
consider  themselves  prisoners.  To  this  home  question 
Dr.  Webb,  who  was  in  charge  of  our  party,  directed  me 
to  answer — yes,  they  were;  and  would  be  held  as  such, 
until  the  launches  they  had  taken  from  the  soldiers  were 
produced  for  our  passage  across  the  Colorado,  and  they 
had  given  satisfactory  evidence  of  their  peaceful  inten 
tions.  This  abrupt  announcement  was  not  pleasing  to 
our  savage  guests,  who  exhibited  alarm,  mingled  with 
half -uttered  threats  of  vengeance;  but  the  old  motto, 
"in  for  a  penny,  in  for  a  pound,"  was  the  only  one  we 
could  adopt  under  the  circumstances,  and  our  resolution 
was  as  unalterable  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Per 
sians. 

Dr.  Webb  furthermore  informed  the  Yumas  that  they 
must  order  their  warriors,  who  were  gathering  thickly  on 
our  side  the  river,  not  to  approach  within  three  hundred 
yards,  adding,  "  we  suspect  your  motives,  and  intend  to 
have  the  first  blood,  if  any  is  to  be  shed.  Your  chief 
men  are  in  our  power.  Your  people  can  kill  us,  as  they 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  121 

are  so  much  more  numerous,  but  we  will  kill  you  first,  if 
they  do  not  obey  our  orders  which  shall  be  promulgated 
through  you/' 

This  was  undoubtedly  the  ' '  tightest  fix "  our  visitors 
ever  got  in.  They  were  by  no  means  prepared  for  such 
a  decided  stand,  and  were  quite  at  a  loss  for  expedient. 
Seeing  resolution  in  each  man's  eye,  and  knowing  that  it 
was  our  determination  to  put  them  to  death  the  moment 
any  decidedly  hostile  step  should  be  taken  by  their  peo 
ple,  they  concluded  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain, 
and  escape  by  strategy  from  the  trap  they  had  prepared 
to  spring  upon  us,  but  in  which  they  had  caught  them 
selves. 

Caballo  en  Pelo  made  a  few  signs  to  the  surrounding 
and  anxious  multitude,  which  then  quietly  retreated  out 
of  sight  among  the  dense  willows  which  grew  with  re 
markable  luxuriance  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the 
river.  We  then  dug  two  holes,  about'twenty  feet  apart, 
parallel  to  each  other,  and  each  about  five  feet  long  by 
one  and  a  half  wide  and  two  deep.  In  these  holes  we 
made  blazing  fires  which  rose  about  two  or  three  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  between  these  fires 
we  ordered  the  Yumas  to  lie  down,  side  by  side,  while  a 
sentinel  with  a  cocked  six-shooter  paraded  along  the 
line  of  their  heads,  and  another  along  the  line  of  their 
feet.  A  flank  escape  was  impossible,  as  it  was  prevented 
by  a  bright  and  hot  fire  on  each  side.  Our  few  remain 
ing  animals  were  drawn  up  in  line  on  the  river  side  of 
the  camp,  with  a  guard  outside  of  them  and  within 
twenty  feet  of  the  whole  party.  "We  slept  but  little  that 
night,  and  at  early  dawn  we  were  once  more  afoot,  and 
in  discussion  with  the  Yumas,  who  stoutly  denied  any 
hostile  motive,  and  professed  indignation  at  their  treat 
ment.  We  gave  them  a  good  breakfast,  as  we  had  given 


122  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

them  a  plentiful  supper  the  evening  previous,  and  then 
reiterated  our  demand  for  the  la.uneh.es,  while  they  as 
stubbornly  denied  any  knowledge  of  their  existence. 

That  day  we  moved  down  the  river  about  eleven  miles 
and  selected  a  good  camp  ground  early  in  the  afternoon. 
Again  we  were  surrounded  by  hundreds  of  Indians,  but 
the  personal  fears  of  our  hostages  kept  them  at  bay,  and 
they  did  not  approach  nearer  than  three  hundred  yards. 
The  night  passed  as  the  previous  one  had  done,  and  we 
perceived  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Yumas  to  wear  us 
out,  and  then  seize  their  opportunity;  but  this  scheme 
was  frustrated  by  the  nerve  and  decision  of  Dr.  Webb, 
who  next  morning  informed  Caballo  en  Pelo  and  his 
chief  followers,  that  "we  were  well  aware  of  the  exist 
ence  of  the  launches  by  oral  as  well  as  written  intelli 
gence;  that  they  were  absolutely  necessary  to  cross  the 
Colorado;  that  we  knew  the  Yumas  had  driven  away  the 
small  garrison  of  American  soldiers  and  had  the  launches 
in  their  possession;  that  we  had  met  the  escaped  Marico- 
pas,  who  told  us  all  about  the  massacre  of  Gallantin  and 
his  party,  and  the  appropriation  of  the  launches  by  the 
Yumas;  and,  finally,  that  if  those  launches  were  not 
forthcoming  by  twelve  o'clock  the  next  day,  we  should 
at  once  proceed  to  extremities  and  kill  him  and  all  the 
Yumas  in  our  camp." 

It  may  well  be  supposed  that  this  sort  of  talk  aroused 
the  liveliest  alarm  among  our  prisoners,  who  commenced 
an  excited  conversation  in  their  own  tongue,  which  cul 
minated  in  a  request  from  Caballo  en  Pelo  that  one  of 
his  young  men  be  permitted  to  leave  our  camp  and  make 
inquiry  if  the  launches  really  were  in  existence,  and  if 
so,  to  bring  it  down  river  to  our  camp.  This  was  agreed 
to,  and  a  young  lad,  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  the 
son  of  Pasqual,  selected  for  the  business.  He  was  al- 


LIFE    AMOXG    THE   APACHES..  123 

lowed  to  depart  with  the  positive  assurance  that  we  would 
keep  our  words  in  regarc^to  his  father  and  the  other  head 
men  of  the  Yuma  tribe  in  our  camp. 

That  night  we  observed  more  than  the  usual  precau 
tions,  for  one-half  our  number  were  on  guard  at  all 
times.  Next  morning  no  Indians  were  to  be  seen,  but  at 
ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  a  large  launch,  capable  of  holding  half 
our  party  with  their  baggage,  was  seen  approaching  un 
der  the  conduct  of  two  Yumas.  It  was  moored  in  front 
of  our  camp,  and  immediate  preparations  were  made  for 
crossing.  Five  of  us,  taking  half  the  Yuma  prisoners, 
immediately  embarked  with  rifles  in  hand,  ready  for  use, 
and  as  we  could  easily  sweep  both  sides  the  river,  our 
party  was  really  as  strong  as  ever.  Our  mules  and 
horses  were  made  to  swim  across  under  the  lead  and 
direction  of  two  Yumas,  who  were  kept  within  range  of 
our  rifles,  and  in  this  manner  we  succeeded  in  gaining 
the  western  bank  of  the  Colorado,  after  three  most  ex 
citing  days  of  detention  amidst  overwhelming  numbers 
of" hostile  savages;  but  our  troubles  were  not  yet  ended. 
"We  had  still  to  undergo  another  ordeal,  even  more  per 
ilous,  because  we  had  no  hostages  as  securities  for  our 
safety  from  attack. 

Having  gained  the  western  bank  of  the  Colorado  in 
peace,  the  Yumas  demanded  to  be  released  from  captiv 
ity,  but  our  safety  would  not  permit  such  a  course,  and 
Dr.  Webb  informed  them  that  they  must  remain  in  camp 
that  night  and  would  be  set  free  next  day.  The  utmost 
precaution  was  again  observed  throughout  the  night,  and 
at  three  o'clock  next  morning  we  were  once  more  en 
route  toward  California,  accompanied  by  the  leading 
Yumas,  who  were  kept  closely  guarded.  That  day  we 
penetrated  twenty-eight  miles  into  the  great  Colorado 
desert,  halting  about  four  o'clock  p.  M.,  in  a  place  where 


124  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

neither  water  nor  wood  existed,  and  completely  sur 
rounded  by  hills  and  banks  of  white  sand.  With  much 
toil  several  of  our  number  ascended  one  or  two  of  the 
highest  hillocks,  but  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  noth 
ing  was  to  be  seen  but  one  unbroken  expanse  of  sand — 
white,  dazzling  under  the  rays  of  a  burning  sun,  unre 
lieved  by  a  single  bush  or  shrub — broken  and  fretted 
with  countless  hillocks,  and  utterly  void  of  animal  life. 
This  part  of  the  Colorado  desert  is  much  more  frightful 
than  the  great  Sahara  of  Africa.  The  absolute  stillness 
and  repose  is  something  awful;  it  is  death  in  life;  it  is 
the  most  impressive  lesson  of  man's  feebleness,  and  the 
most  startling  reproof  against  his  vanity.  In  our  case 
these  sensations  were  not  mitigated  by  the  knowledge  of 
being  surrounded  by  a  fierce,  warlike  and  numerous  In 
dian  tribe,  thirsting  for  our  blood,  and  eager  to  revenge 
the  indignity  they  had  'suffered  by  the  captivity  of  their 
head  chiefs,  and  the  failure  of  their  treacherous  schemes. 
As  before  stated,  we  halted  and  made  preparations  as 
if  to  encamp.  Dr.  Webb  then  directed  Mr.  Thurber  to 
ascend  the  highest  sand  hill  in  the  neighborhood,  exam 
ine  all  around  with  his  field  glass  and  report  if  the  In 
dians  were  upon  our  trail.  In  about  half  an  hour  Mr. 
Thurber  returned,  and  assured  us  that  from  two  to  three 
hundred  Yumas  were  within  five  miles  of  our  position, 
and  heading  toward  our  camp.  There  was  no  time  to 
lose.  Caballo  en  Pelo  with  his  fellow  captives  were  im 
mediately  informed  that  they  must  take  the  back  track 
and  return  to  the  river,  that  our  road  was  toward  the 
west,  that  we  had  no  more  provisions  to  give  them,  and 
that  it  was  indispensable  for  us  to  part  company  then 
and  there.  To  these  requirements  the  wily  chief  demur 
red,  and  stated  his  desire  to  go  on  with  us  to  California. 
He  was  overruled  by  the  strong  persuasive  force  of  draw- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  125 

ing  our  pistols,  and  giving  him  the  sole  alternative  of 
obeying  or  dying.  They  chose  the  former,  and  decamped 
with  haste.  So  soon  as  they  disappeared  round  the  base 
of  a  friendly  sand  hill,  we  immediately  repacked  our 
wagon,  and  drove  on  with  all  possible  speed,  hoping  to 
escape  in  the  fast  coming  darkness. 

Eleven  years  afterward,  Pasqual  himself  told  me  that 
they  met  about  three  hundred  of  their  warriors  half  an 
hour  after  being  expelled  from  our  camp,  and  the  whole 
band  came  in  pursuit  of  us,  but  as  the  Indian  never  risks 
life  wThen  he  thinks  the  same  end  can  be  accomplished 
by  strategy,  and  as  time  is  of  no  moment  to  them,  it  was 
agreed  to  fall  foul  of  us  just  before  daylight  the  next 
morning,  and  by  a  rapid  and  combined  assault  massacre 
our  little  party  with  comparative  ease  and  impunity. 
Acting  on  that  policy,  they  approached  our  abandoned 
camp  with  extreme  caution,  and  commenced  a  survey 
from  surrounding  hillocks.  They  were  not  surprised  to 
see  no  fire,  as  they  knew  there  was  no  wood  in  that  part 
of  the  desert,  and  they  remained  quiescent  until  nearly 
morning,  when  their  scouts  gave  them  the  unwelcome 
information  that  we  were  gone. 

Our  night  was  continued  all  night  and  part  of  the  next 
day,  until  overtaken  by  one  of  those  dreadful  sandstorms 
which  prevail  on  the  Colorado  desert.  The  day  was  in 
tensely  hot,  and  tHe  most  oppressive  silence  seemed  to 
reign  absolute.  Suddenly  a  dark,  dense  and  singular 
looking  cloud  arose  in  the  west  and  moved  toward  us 
with  incredible  velocity.  Great  masses  of  heavy  sand 
were  lifted  as  if  they  were  so  many  feathers  and  carried 
high  into  the  air  with  extreme  violence.  The  places  for 
merly  occupied  by  huge  hillocks  containing  many  thou 
sand  tons  of  sand,  were  swept  clean  as  if  by  magic  in  a 
few  moments,  and  the  vast  banks  removed  to  other  lo- 


126  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

calities  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Our  mules  fell  flat 
upon  their  bellies  and  thrust  their  noses  close  to  the 
ground,  our  horses  followed  their  example — none  of  us 
could  stand  against  the  force  and  might  of  the  storm — 
and  we,  too,  laid  down  flat,  hauling  a  tent  over  us.  In 
a  few  moments  the  tent  was  so  deeply  covered  with  sand 
as  to  retain  its  position,  and  every  now  and  then  we  were 
compelled  to  remove  the  swiftly  gathering  mass,  to  avoid 
being  absolutely  buried  alive.  Amidst  the  distress,  the 
horrible  sensations,  and  the  suffocating  feelings  occa 
sioned  by  this  sirocco,  we  entertained  the  grateful  sense 
of  protection  from  our  savage  pursuers,  who  were  quite 
as  incapable  of  facing  that  terrific  storm  as  we  were. 
For  forty-eight  hours  we  had  not  tasted  food,  and  were 
more  than  a  day  without  water  in  the  hottest  climate 
known  to  man,  and  our  distress  heightened  by  the  in 
tense  craving  for  water  invariably  attendant  on  those 
scorching  blasts  of  the  desert.  These  sensations  were 
not  alleviated  by  the  fact  of  knowing  that  we  had  yet  a 
journey  of  forty  miles  before  we  could  find  water. 

About  three  o'clock  p.  M.,  the  storm  passed  off,  and  we 
instantly  resumed  our  way  without  cooking  food,  for  eat 
ing  could  only  add  to  our  already  terrible  thirst.  All 
that  night  our  weary  feet  trod  that  infernal  desert  until 
the  glowing  morning  sun  shone  upon  us  like  a  plate  of 
molten  brass,  but  we  had  arrived  at  a~fine  camp  ground, 
thickly  supplied  with  shady  mesquit  trees  and  abound 
ing  with  excellent  grass  for  our  worn-out  animals,  which 
had  dwindled  down  to  less  than  one-half  the  number  we 
boasted  before  crossing  the  Colorado.  About  an  hour 
after  camping,  the  step-father  of  Inez,  who  served  us  as 
guide,  reported  that  he  saw  an  alamo  tree  a  short  dis 
tance  off,  and  he  believed  that  there  must  be  water  in  its 
neighborhood.  Several  of  us  proceeded  to  the  spot  and 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  127 

in  a  short  time  discovered  a  small  pool  containing  about 
twenty  gallons  of  water  deposited  in  a  hollow  by  a  for 
mer  copious  rain,  and  sheltered  from  the  sun  by  friendly 
brush.  The  joyful  news  was  soon  made  known  to  the 
rest  of  our  comrades,  and  our  raging  thirst  slaked,  after 
which  the  remainder  of  the  water  was  equally  divided 
among  our  famishing  stock.  As  Carisso  creek  was  then 
within  a  day's  march,  no  thought  was  taken  for  the  mor 
row,  and  after  a  most  refreshing  night's  rest,  we  re-com- 
rnenced  our  journey  at  early  dawn,  reaching  Carisso 
creek  about  five  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day.  At  this  place  we  felt  ourselves  wholly  -safe  from 
the  Yumas.  There  was  abundance  of  pasture,  and  water 
and  wood,  and  we  would  have  remained  for  a  day  or  two 
to  obtain  much  needed  rest,  but  our  provisions  had  en 
tirely  given  out,  and  we  had  still  one  hundred  miles  of 
travel  before  us  without  an  ounce  of  food,  unless  such  as 
might  possibly  be  procured  in  the  way  of  game. 

With  sad  hearts  and  weakened  frames  we  pushed  for 
ward  until  we  reached  Yallecito,  where  we  found  an 
American  garrison  consisting  of  a  company  of  infantry 
and  three  officers.  By  these  warm-hearted  and  gallant 
gentlemen  we  were  received  with  the  greatest  courtesy 
and  kindliness,  and  entertained  by  them  with  a  warmth 
of  hospitality  which  has  found  an  abiding  place  among 
my  most  grateful  recollections.  Some  time  had  elapsed 
since  supplies  were  received  from  San  Diego,  and  they 
were  themselves  on  "short  commons,"  and  unable  to 
furnish  us  with  the  provisions  needed  to  complete  our 
journey;  but  gave  us  freely  to  the  extent  of  their  power. 
It  would  have  been  gross  ingratitude  to  remain  there, 
living  upon  the  very  diminished  stores  of  our  kind  enter 
tainers,  and  we  again  pushed  forward  the  next  day.  Our 
course  lay  over  the  Volcan  mountain,  and  upon  its  mag- 


128  LIFE   AMONG-   THE   APACHES. 

nificent  height  we  found  a  rancho  owned  and  inhabited 
by  a  big-hearted  gentleman,  who  ministered  to  our  wants 
and  furnished  us  with  two  fresh  mules.  Next  day  we 
resumed  our  march,  and  soon  after  passing  the  old  battle 
ground  of  San  Pascual  met  Col.  Heintzleman,  in  com 
mand  of  three  hundred  troops,  on  his  way  to  chastise 
the  Yuma  Indians  for  their  many  murders  and  robberies. 
The  officers  were  surprised  to  meet  us  coming  from  the 
river,  and  asked  many  questions,  which  we  were  de 
lighted  to  answer,  giving  valuable  information. 

Col.  Heintzleman's  force  was  subsequently  increased 
to  five  hundred  rn?n,  and  after  two  years'  active  warfare 
he  succeeded  in  reducing  the  Yumas,  who  have  never 
since  presumed  to  contend  against  our  power.  Since 
then  Fort  Yuma  has  become  a  noted  frontier  fortification, 
surrounded  by  many  hundreds  of  American  citizens,  who 
live,  for  the  most  part,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river, 
and  carry  on  a  lucrative  trade  with  the  interior  of  Ari 
zona  and  the  Yumas,  Cocopahs,  Cushans,  Amojaves  and 
other  tribes.  The  waters  of  the  Colorado  are  now  plowed 
by  half  a  dozen  steamers,  and  my  old  enemies,  the  Yumas, 
do  the  "chores"  and  menial  offices  for  the  whites.  The 
next  day  after  meeting  Col.  Heintzleman  we  reached  San 
Diego,  devoutly  thankful  to  Providence  for  our  many 
and  almost  miraculous  escapes  from  the  tomahawks  and 
scalping  knives  of  the  Indian  tribes  through  which  we 
had  passed  for  the  distance  of  two  thousand  eight  hun 
dred  miles. 


CHAPTER    XL 

Letter  from  Senator  Clemens.— Resign  from  the  Boundary  Commission.— Depar 
ture  of  the  Commission.— New  Expedition.— Ride  up  the  Gila.— Terrible 
Conflict  with  Apaches.  —  Desperate  Personal  Encounter. —  Defeat  of  the 
Savages.— Return  of  the  Expedition.— Long  for  a  Quiet  Life.— San  Fran 
cisco. — Cogitations  on  Indian  Character. — Advice  Given  and  Disdained. — 
"flie  Fatal  Results.— Necessity  for  Constant  Caution.— Extent  of  Apache 
Country.—  Numerical  Strength  of  the  Apaches.— Female  Warriors.— False 
Impressions  of  Indian  Character. 

A  WEEK  after  our  safe  arrival  in  San  Diego,  worn-out 
and  suffering  from  nearly  two  years'  wandering  upon  the 
uninhabited  deserts  of  Texas,  Arizona,  northern  Sonora, 
and  a  portion  of  New  Mexico,  I  received  a  warm,  cordial 
and  brotherly  letter  from  the  Hon.  Jere  Clemens,  Sen 
ator  from  Alabama,  who  had  been  my  Lieutenant-Colonel 
during  a  portion  of  the  Mexican  war,  after  the  death  of 
Col.  Ransom,  and  the  capture  of  Chapultepec,  which 
letter  informed  me  that  although  the  appropriation  for 
the  Boundary  Commission  had  passed  Congress,  yet 
John  B.  Weller,  Senator  from  California,  had  managed 
to  have  inserted  in  it  a  proviso  which  would  have  the 
effect  of  rendering  that  appropriation  unavailable,  and 
that  the  probabilities  were  we  would  be  disbanded  in  the 
deserts,  without  money,  or  the  means  of  return  to  our 
friends  and  home  at  the  East.  He  also  advised  me  to 
leave  the  Commission,  as  we  had  arrived  within  the  pre 
cincts  of  civilization,  and  pursue  some  other  avocation. 
The  advice  and  arguments  of  my  former  superior,  whose 
kindness  and  remembrance  had  followed  me  throughout 
our  toilsome  and  dangerous  career,  convinced  niy  mind 


130  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

of  their  value,  and  I  resigned  my  place  in  the  Commis 
sion.  Three  weeks  afterward  it  returned  toward  the 
East,  while  I  remained  in  San  Diego. 

About  a  month  after  the  Commission  had  departed, 
carrying  with  it  my  warmest  and  most  kindly  esteem  to 
ward  its  gallant  and  noble-hearted  members,  a  small 
party  of  ten  men  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  entering 
and  exploring  a  portion  of  Arizona,  with  a  view  to  locate 
and  exploit  some  of  its  valuable  gold  and  silver  mines, 
and  I  was  engaged  as  the  interpreter  and  guide  of  the 
party,  on  a  salary  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  month. 

On  an  appointed  day  we  started,  and  after  a  tedious 
march,  reached  the  Colorado,  which  was  then  the  theater 
of  an  active  war  against  the  Yuma  Indians.  Col.  Heint- 
zleman  had  arrived  with  his  troops  and  had  begun  a  vig 
orous  campaign.  We  wTere  immediately  crossed  by  the 
guard  in  charge  of  the  launch,  and  cautioned  about  the 
Yumas,  who  were  then  supposed  to  be  in  force  on  the 
Gila,  about  thirty  miles  from  its  junction  with  the  Col 
orado.  In  consequence  of  this  warning,  we  determined 
to  proceed  by  night  instead  of  day  until  we  had  passed 
the  field  occupied  by  the  savages.  The  rumbling  of  our 
two  wagons,  and  the  watchful  stillness  of  our  party,  im 
pressed  the  savages  with  the  belief  that  we  were  an 
armed  body  stealing  a  march  upon  them,  and  we  passed 
unmolested  in  the  dark,  arriving  at  Antelope  Peak  in 
our  march  from  Fort  Yuma.  Here  we  considered  our 
selves  comparatively  safe  from  the  Yumas,  although  ex 
posed  to  visits  from  the  Tonto  Apaches,  who  inhabit  the 
northern  side  of  the  Gila  from  Antelope  Peak  to  the 
Pimo  villages.  Our  party  was  well  armed,  each  person 
having  two  revolvers,  a  good  rifle  and  a  large  knife,  and 
we  felt  ourselves  equal  to  four  or  five  times  our  number 
of  Indians  in  an  open  fight,  but  were  also  aware  that  the 
utmost  precaution  was  necessary  at  all  times. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  131 

Just  below  and  about  what  is  known  as  GrinnelFs 
Station  the  road  is  covered  from  four  to  five  inches  deep 
with  a  fine  and  almost  impalpable  dust,  containing-  an 
abundance  of  alkali.  The  lightest  treacj.  sends  it  in  clouds 
far  over  head,  and  a  body  of  men  riding  together  in  close 
column  are  so  thoroughly  enveloped  as  to  prevent  the 
recognizing  of  each  other  at  the  distance  of  only  three 
feet.  In  some  places  the  road  passes  through  the  middle 
of  an  extensive  plain,  apparently  incapable  of  affording 
covert  to  a  hare.  We  had  arrived  at  one  of  these  wide 
openings,  and  were  inclosed  in  a  cloud  of  dust  so  dense 
as  completely  to  bar  the  vision  of  all  except  the  two  who 
occupied  the  advance.  One  or  two  others  attempted  to 
ride  on  one  side  of  the  road,  but  the  terrible  thorns  of 
the  cactus  and  the  pointed  leaves  of  the  Spanish  bayonet 
which  soon  covered  their  horses  legs  with  blood,  and 
lamed  the  poor  animals,  induced  them  to  resume  the 
dusty  road.  No  one  expected  an  attack  in  so  open,  ex 
posed  and  unsheltered  a  place,  yet  it  was  the  very  one  se 
lected  for  such  a  purpose.  The  wily  savages  knew  that  we 
would  be  upon  our  guard  in  passing  a  defile,  a  thick  wood, 
or  a  rocky  canon;  and  also  judged  that  we  might  be  care 
less  while  crossing  an  open  plain.  They  were  well  ac 
quainted  with  the  dusty  character  of  the  road,  and  re 
lying  on  it  to  conceal  their  presence,  had  secreted  them 
selves  close  to  its  southern  edge,  awaiting  our  approach. 

&t  a  certain  spot,  where  a  dozen  or  two  yucca  trees 
elevated  their  sharp-pointed  leaves  about  four  feet  above 
ground,  and  while  we  were  shrouded  in  a  cloud  of  dust, 
a  sharp,  rattling  volley  was  poured  into  us  from  a  dis 
tance  of  less  than  twenty  yards.  It  has  always  been  a 
matter  of  astonishment  to  me  that  none  of  our  party 
were  either  killed  or  wounded;  but  wre  lost  two  mules 
and  three  horses  by  that  fire.  The  dense  dust  prevented 


132  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

the  Apaches  from  taking  aim,  and  they  fired  a  little  too 
low.  It  was  no  time  for  hesitation,  and  the  order  was 
at  once  given  to  dismount  and  fight  on  foot.  We  could 
distinguish  little  or  nothing;  shot  after  shot  was  ex 
pended  in  the  direction  of  the  savages;  now  and  then  a 
dark  body  would  be  seen  and  made  a  target  of  as  soon 
as  seen.  Each  man  threw  himself  flat  upon  the  ground; 
but  scarcely  any  could  tell  where  his  companions  were. 
It  was  pre-eminently  a  fight  in  %which  each  man  was  on 
"his  own  hook." 

While  we  laid  prostrate  the  dust  settled  somewhat, 
and  we  were  about  to  obtain  a  good  sight  of  the  enemy, 
when  John  Wollaston  cried  out — "Up  boys,  they  are 
making  a  rush."  Each  man  rose  at  the  word,  and  a 
hand  to  hand  contest  ensued  which  beggars  all  descrip 
tion.  It  was  at  this  juncture  that  our  revolvers  did  the 
work,  as  was  afterward  shown.  Again  the  dust  rose  in 
blinding  clouds,  hurried  up  by  the  tramping  feet  of  con 
tending  men.  We  stood  as  much  chance  to  be  shot  by 
each  other  as  by  the  savages.  The  quick  rattling  of  pis 
tols  was  heard  on  all  sides,  but  the  actors  in  this  work 
of  death  were  invisible.  Tiie  last  charge  of  my  second 
pistol  had  been  exhausted;  my  large  knife  lost  in  the 
thick  dust  on  the  road,  and  the  only  weapon  left  me  was 
a  small  double-edged,  but  sharp  and  keen,  dagger,  with 
a  black  whalebone  hilt,  and  about  four  inches  long  on 
the  blade.  I  was  just  reloading  a  six-shooter,  whelf  a 
robust  and  athletic  Apache,  much  heavier  than  myself, 
stood  before  me,  not  more  than,  three  feet  off.  He  was 
naked  with  the  single  exception  of  a  breach  cloth,  and 
his  person  was  oiled  from  head  to  foot.  I  was  clothed 
in  a  green  hunting  frock,  edged  with  black,  a  pair  of 
green  pants,  trimmed  with  black  welts,  and  a  green, 
broad-brimmed  felt  hat.  The  instant  we  met,  he  ad- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  133 

vanced  upon  me  with  a  long  and  keen  knife,  with  which 
he  made  a  plunge  at  my  breast.  This  attack  was  met  by 
stopping  his  right  wrist  with  my  left  hand,  and  at  the 
same  moment  I  lunged  my  small  dagger  full  at  his  ab 
domen.  He  caught  my  right  wrist  in  his  left  hand,  and 
for  a  couple  of  seconds — a  long  time  under  such  circum 
stances — we  stood  regarding  each  other,  my  left  hand 
holding  his  right  above  my  head,  and  his  left  retaining 
my  right  on  a  level  with  his  body.  Feeling  that  he  was 
greased,  and  that  I  had  no  certain  hold,  I  tripped  him 
with  a  sudden  and  violent  pass  of  the  right  foot,  which 
brought  him  to  the  ground,  but  in  falling  he  seized  and 
carried  me  down  with  him.  In  a  moment  the  desperate 
savage  gained  the  ascendant,  and  planted  himself  firmly 
on  my  person,  with  his  right  knee  on  my  left  arm,  con 
fining  it  closely,  and  his  left  arm  pinioning  my  right  to 
the  ground,  while  his  right  arm  was  free.  I  was  com 
pletely  at  his  mercy.  His  personal  strength  and  weight 
were  greater  than  mine.  His  triumph  and  delight  glared 
from  his  glittering  black  eyes,  and  he  resolved  to  lose 
nothing  of  his  savage  enjoyment.  Holding  me  down 
with  the'-grasp  of  a  giant,  against  which  all  my  struggles 
were  wholly  vain,  he  raised  aloft  his  long,  sharp  knife, 
and  said — "  Pindah  lickoyee  das-ay-go,  dee-dab,  tatsan," 
which  means,  "the  white-eyed  man,  you  will  be  soon 
dead."  I  thought  as  he  did,  and  in  that  frightful  mo 
ment  made  a  hasty  commendation  of  my  soul  to  the  Be 
nevolent,  but  I  am  afraid  that  it  was  mingled  with  some 
scheme  to  get  out  of  my  predicament,  if  possible. 

To  express  the  sensations  I  underwent  at  that  moment 
is  not  within  the  province  of  language.  My  erratic  and 
useless  life  passed  in  review  before  me  in  less  than  an  in 
stant  of  time.  I  lived  more  in  that  minute  or  two  of  our 
deadly  struggle  than  I  had  ever  done  in  years,  and,  as  I 
7 


134  LIFE   AMONG   THE  APACHES. 

was  wholly  powerless,  I  gave  myself  up  for  lost — another 
victim  to  Apache  ferocity.  His  bloodshot  eyes  gleamed 
upon  me  with  intense  delight,  and  he  seemed  to  delay 
the  death-stroke  for  the  purpose  of  gladdening  his  heart 
upon  my  fears  and  inexpressible  torture.  All  this  trans 
pired  in  less  than  half  a  minute,  but  to  me  it  seemed 
hours.  Suddenly  he  raised  his  right  arm  for  the  final 
stroke.  I  saw  the  descending  blow  of  the  deadly  weapon, 
and  knew  the  force  with  which  it  was  driven. 

The  love  of  life  is  a  strong  feeling  at  any  time;  but  to 
be  killed  like  a  pig,  by  an  Apache,  seemed  pre-eminently 
dreadful  and  contumelious.  Down  came  the  murderous 
knife,  aimed  full  at  my  throat,  for  his  position  on  my 
body  made  that  the  most  prominent  part  of  attack.  In 
stantly  I  twisted  my  head  and  neck  one  side  to  avoid  the 
blow  and  prolong  life  as  much  as  possible.  The  keen 
blade  passed  in  dangerous  proximity  to  my  throat,  and 
buried  itself  deeply  in  the  soft  soil,  penetrating  my  black 
silk  cravat,  while  his  right  thumb  came  within  reach  of 
my  mouth,  and  was  as  quickly  seized  between  my  teeth. 
His  struggles  to  free  himself  were  fearful,  but  my  life 
depended  on  holding  fast.  Finding  his  efforts  vain,  he 
released  his  grasp  of  my  right  arm  and  seized  his  knife 
with  his  left  hand,  but  the  change,  effected  under  ex 
treme  pain,  reversed  the  whole  state  of  affairs.  Before 
my  antagonist  could  extricate  his  deeply-buried  weapon 
with  his  left  hand,  and  while  his  right  was  held  fast  be 
tween  my  teeth,  I  circled  his  body  and  plunged  my  sharp 
and  faithful  dagger  twice  between  his  ribs,  just  under 
his  left  arm,  at  the  same  time  making  another  convulsive 
effort  to  throw  off  his  weight.  In  this  I  succeeded,  and 
in  a  few  moments  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  my  en 
emy  gasping  his  last  under  my  repeated  thrusts.  Lan 
guage  would  fail  to  convey  anything  like  my  sensations 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  135 

during  that  deadly  contest,  and  I  will  not  attempt  the 
task. 

About  the  same  time  the  battle  terminated  with  the 
defeat  of  our  assailants,  who  lost  ten  killed  and  several 
wounded,  how  many  we  never  knew.  On  our  side,  we 
lost  one  man — James  Kendick — and  had  three  wounded, 
viz:  John  Wollaston,  John  H.  Marble  and  Theodore 
Heuston.  Houston  and  Marble  died  of  their  wounds 
soon  after  reaching  Tucson,  although  they  received  the 
kindest  nursing  and  attention  from  that  noble  Castilian 
gentleman,  Juan  Fernandez,  and  his  amiable  family. 
This  sad  result  broke  up  the  party,  and  I  returned  to 
San  Diego  shortly  afterward  with  a  party  of  immigrants 
coming  to  California. 

The  above  was  one  of  the  few  occasions  wherein  the 
Apaches  have  boldly  attacked  travelers  from  whom  they 
could  expect  no  great  booty  and  lose  many  lives  in  a  con 
flict.  They  were  probably  incited  to  the  surprise  by 
some  more  than  usually  daring  spirit,  who  planned  the 
affair  and  trusted  for  success  in  its  distinctive  and  un 
expected  nature.  We  were  precisely  in  a  portion  of  the 
country  which  afforded  no  ostensible  covert,  and  conse 
quently  made  us  less  cautious.  They  knew  the  charac 
ter  of  the  road,  and  the  blinding  nature  and  volume  of 
the  dust.  They  depended  upon  the  first  fire  to  slay  a 
number  of  our  party,  and  produce  a  panic  among  the 
survivors.  They  counted  upon  a  surprise  and  an  easy 
victory,  and  expected  to  inherit  our  horses,  mules,  arms 
and  provisions.  They  had  conceived  well,  and  acted 
gallantly,  but  were  frustrated,  although  the  results  were 
of  the  saddest  nature  to  our  small  company,  as  they  com 
pletely  upset  our  original  intentions  by  the  death  of  The 
odore  Heuston,  who  was  the  capitalist  and  founder  of 
the  expedition. 


136  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

This  event  initiated  me  into  another  phase  of  Apache 
character  I  had  never  before  seen.  It  proved  that  they 
are  capable  of  bold  and  dangerous  undertakings  under 
very  adverse  circumstances,  or  when  the  chances  are 
nearly  evenly  balanced;  but  this  seldom  occurs,  as  they 
almost  invariably  have  opportunities  to  examine,  at  their 
leisure,  all  persons  or  parties  who  enter  the  regions  in 
habited  by  them,  and  form  their  plans  so  as  to  take  every 
advantage  with  the  least  possible  chance  of  losing  a 
man. 

After  my  return  to  San  Diego,  I  determined  to  forsake 
my  wild,  almost  nomadic  life,  and  return  to  civilized  ex 
istence.  I  was  tired  and  disgusted  with  the  incessant 
watchfulness,  the  unceasing  warfare,  and  unrequited 
privations  I  had  suffered.  Life  had  been  a  round  of  con 
tentions  for  two  years.  I  had  passed  through  an  un 
broken  series  of  tribulations  and  dangers  during  that 
period.  Hunger,  thirst,  severe  cold  and  excessive  heat, 
with  much  personal  peril,  had  been  my  invariable  con 
comitants,  and  I  panted  for  a  more  quiet  life.  San 
Francisco  held  forth  the  only  inducement  on  this  coast, 
and  thither  I  wended  my  way,  on  the  steamer  Sea  Bird, 
then  commanded  by  Capt.  Healey,  with  Gorman  as 
mate. 

As  this  narrative  is  wholly  devoted  to  incidents  and 
adventures  among  Indian  tribes,  the  author  will  be  ex 
cused  from  giving  a  recital  of  his  life  until  he  was  again 
compelled,  in  obedience  to  orders,  to  renew  acquaint 
ance  with  nomadic  races.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that 
twelve  years  elapsed  before  such  intimacy  was  effected, 
faithful  details  of  which  will  be  given  in  the  succeeding 
chapters. 

During  the  period  of  quiescence  from  exciting  life 
which  succeeded  two.  years'  eventful  wanderings  across 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  137 

the  North  American  continent,  abundant  opportunities 
existed  for  reconsidering  and  drawing  just  inferences 
from  the  past.  The  conclusions  arrived  at  then  appeared 
well  founded,  if  judged  from  the  light  of  the  experiences 
through  which  I  had  passed;  but  a  subsequent  career, 
under  unusually  favorable  circumstances,  gave  me  to 
comprehend  how  much  my  early  judgment  had  erred. 
I  had  seen  bat  the  outside — had  witnessed  but  the  husk; 
the  interior — the  kernel  of  the  nut — still  remained  un- 
tasted  and  unknown.  I  had  nattered  myself  with  having 
achieved  a  fair  knowledge  of  Indian  character.  I  believe 
my  personal  observations  had  been  sufficient  to  instruct 
me  on  that  subject.  Former  travels  through  South 
America,  from  Buenos  Ayres  to  Valparaiso — when  I  was 
a  sort  of  captive  among  the  Pategonian  Indians  for  seven 
months — seemed  to  justify  me  in  thinking  I  had  made  a 
correct  analysis  of  Indian  traits.  But  I  was  much  in 
error.  Sufficient  credit  had  not  been  given  to  their 
mental  powers,  their  ability  to  calculate  chances,  to 
estimate  and  foresee  the  plans  of  others,  to  take  pre 
cautions,  to  manoeuvre  with  skill,  to  insure  concert  of 
action  by  a  recognized  code  of  signals,  to  convey  infor 
mation  to  succeeding  parties  of  the  route,  numbers  and 
designs  of  those  who  preceded,  and  to  bring  together 
formidable  bodies  from  distant  points  without  the  aid  of 
messengers.  Much,  very  much,  was  yet  to  be  learned. 

A  boy  of  twenty  years  is  very  apt  to  credit  himself 
with  having  acquired  a  very  satisfactory  idea  of  human 
nature,  and  no  amount  of  instruction  and  advice  from 
his  elders  will  induce  him  to  change  his  views  until  a 
fuller  experience  makes  him  realize  the  fact  that  when 
he  thought  himself  master  of  the  situation,  he  was  in 
reality  only  entering  upon  its  rudimental  knowledge. 
Of  all  people,  Americans  seem  less  inclined  to  receive 


138  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

and  profit  by  the  advice  of  others  founded  upon  a  larger 
and  more  matured  experience.  They  want  to  know  for 
themselves,  and  place  the  most  abiding  faith  in  their 
own  judgment  and  readiness  of  resource.  They  seem  to 
regard  a  warning  as  a  sort  of  reflection  upon  their  per 
sonal  courage  or  skill,  and  frequently  treat  friendly 
counsel  with  somewhat  of  petulance.  A  most  lamenta 
ble  instance  of  this  nature  occurred  to  myself.  After 
my  second  term  of  military  service  in  Arizona,  I  was  re 
turning  home  via  Fort  Yuma,  when  I  received  an  intro 
duction  to  a  Paymaster,  with  the  rank  of  Major,  in  the 
Regular  service.  Dr.  Tappan,  Assistant  Surgeon  of  Vol 
unteers,  was  present  at  the  time,  and  asked  me  to  favor 
him  with  some  instructions  in  reference  to  the  marches, 
camping  grounds,  distances,  and  dangers  to  be  met  on 
their  projected  route  up  the  Gila  river  to  the  place  for 
merly  known  as  Fort  Breckinridge.  It  was  clearly  my 
duty,  as  well  as  my  pleasure,  to  put  him  in  possession  of 
all  the  knowledge  I  had  gleaned  in  reference  to  these 
points,  and  I  closed  my  information  by  tracing  a  map  of 
the  route,  and  volunteering  advice  to  the  following  effect. 
You  must  never,  said  I,  permit  your  zeal  to  outrun 
your  discretion.  Remember  that  a  well  appointed  and 
careful  party  may  travel  through  Arizona  from  one  year's 
end  to  the  other,  without  ever  seeing  an  Apache,  or  any 
trace  of  his  existence,  and  from  this  cause  travelers  fre 
quently  become  careless  and  fall  an  easy  prey  to  their 
sleepless  watchfulness.  Indeed,  it  is  not  difficult  to 
point  out  many  who  have  no  faith  in  their  apparent 
ubiquity,  but  believe  that  they  must  be  sought  in  their 
strongholds.  There  are  others  again  who  will  not  be 
convinced  that  the  eyes  of  these  Indians  are  always  upon 
them,  because  they  see  nothing  to  indicate  that  fact;  but 
the  truth  is,  every  move  you  make,  every  step  you  ad- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  139 

vance,  every  camp  you  visit,  is  seen  and  noted  by  them, 
with  the  strictest  scrutiny.  If  they  perceive  that  you  are 
careful,  prepared  for  any  contingency,  and  always  on 
your  guard,  they  wll  hesitate  about  making  any  attack 
with  ten  times  your  force,  especially  if  your  party  does 
not  oifer  sufficient  inducement  in  the  matter  of  plunder. 
Bat  if  they  observe  the  least  neglect,  or  want  of  precau 
tion  on  your  part,  you  will  be  assaulted  at  the  very  mo 
ment,  in  the  very  place,  and  under  circumstances  when 
least  expected,  with  every  probability  of  success  in  their 
favor.  I  further  remarked,  your  party,  I  understand, 
will  be  a  small  one,  of  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  per 
sons,  including  an  escort  of  nine  men  of  the  Regular 
Infantry.  None  of  these  men  have  probably  ever  been 
in  an  Indian  country,  and,  if  they  have,  no  experience 
elsewhere  will  avail  them  among  the  Apaches,  whose 
mode  of  warfare  is  so  entirely  at  variance  with  those  of 
all  other  tribes.  The  Regular  soldiers,  in  order  to  pre 
serve  the  polish  and  fine  appearance  of  their  guns,  are  in 
the  habit  of  carrying  them  in  covers  and  unloaded.  This 
should  be  avoided.  The  men  should  be  made  to  carry 
their  muskets  loaded,  capped,  and  ready  for  action  at  a 
second's  warning.  They  must  be  restrained  from  strag 
gling,  and  moved  in  such  order  as  will  guarantee  the 
greatest  amount  of  security  to  every  individual.  Special 
care  should  be  observed  soon  after  entering  a  camping- 
ground,  when  the  men  generally  lay  aside  their  weapons 
and  separate  into  detachments  to  bring  wood  and  water. 
I  cannot  too  strongly  impress  you  with  the  necessity  for 
a  rigid  observance  of  this  caution  in  all  cases  where  the 
party  is  small,  and  no  sufficient  armed  body  left  in  camp, 
or  provided  as  guards  for  the  protection  of  those  engaged 
in  other  necessary  duties. 

Dr.  Tappan  thanked  me  cordially  for  the  information 


140  LIFE  AMONO   THE   APACHES. 

imparted,  and  especially  for  the  advice  given  in  relation 
to  the  Apaches,  but  the  Major  rather  coolly  intimated 
that  he  was  quite  capable  of  managing  his  own  affairs, 
and  had  seen  enough  of  Indian  life  to  put  him  in  posses 
sion  of  all  necessary  information.  I  touched  my  cap  and 
withdrew  somewhat  mortified.  Soon  afterward  intelli 
gence  was  received  that  the  Major,  Dr.  Tappan  and  three 
others  had  been  killed  at  the  Cotton-wood  Springs,  by 
the  Apaches.  It  seems  that  soon  after  entering  upon 
the  camp  ground,  the  party  broke  into  small  unarmed 
squads,  which  went  in  search. of  wood  and  to  bring  wa 
ter,  when  their  ever-watchful  and  tigerish  fees  seized 
the  opportunity  to  dash  in  and  massacre  all  they  could. 
In  this  miserable  manner  the  lives  of  two  valuable  offi 
cers  and  three  brave  men  were  sacrificed  for  the  want  of 
a  little  caution  which  could  have  been  easily  exercised. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  at  all  times  that  the  Apaches 
have  scarcely  ever  been  known  to  make  a  fighting  attack 
at  night.  Under  cover  of  the  darkness  they  will  steal 
into  camp  and  conceal  themselves  from  detection  with 
wondrous  skill,  in  the  hope  of  effecting  a  robbery;  but 
that  is  the  extent  of  their  night  operations,  unless  they 
become  emboldened  by  the  most  reckless  and  foolhardy 
carelessness.  Their  onslaughts  are  almost  invariably 
made  by  day,  and  at  such  times  and  places  as  tend  to 
impart  the  greatest  sense  of  security.  When  they  mean 
mischief  no  marks  are  to  be  seen — no  traces,  no  tracks, 
no  "signs"  discoverable.  The  unsuspecting  traveler, 
lulled  into, a  fatal  belief  that  none  of  them  are  near,  re 
laxes  his  caution,  and  is  caught  as  surely  as  the  spider 
meshes  the  confiding  fly.  I  have  seen  men,  who,  being 
in  company  with  large  and  well  armed  parties,  had  never 
seen  an  Apache  after  a  year  of  wandering  in  their  coun 
try,  actually  doubted  the  existence  of  those  savages 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  141 

except  amidst  their  strongholds,  until  a  recklessness 
begotten  of  unbelief,  induced  them  to  relax  their 
watchfulness  and  incur  special  risks.  In  some  cases, 
they  have  succeeded  and  got  off  scot  free,  but  in  ninety 
out  of  a  hundred  they  have  either  fallen  victims  to  mis 
placed  confidence,  or  escaped  almost  by  miracle.  Let 
no  one  natter  himself  with  the  idea  that,  from  the  mo 
ment  he  has  passed  the  Pimo  villages,  he  is  at  any  time 
unobserved  by  the  Apaches.  Being  a  non-productive 
race,  subsisting  wholly  on  plunder  and  game,  and  inca 
pable  of  providing  a  commissariat  which  will  maintain 
any  considerable  body  for  even  a  week  or  two,  they 
are  scattered  in  small  but  active  parties  throughout  the 
whole  of  Arizona,  a  large  part  of  New  Mexico,  and  all 
the  northern  portions  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  and  in 
some  parts  of  Durango.  The  territory  over  which  they 
roam,  and  in  which  they  appear  to  be  ubiquitous,  is 
more  than  three  times  larger  than  California;  and  Cali 
fornia  possesses  more  area  than  all  the  New  England 
States,  together  with  New  York  and  New  Jersey.  This 
is  to  say,  that  the  country  over  which  the  Apache  race 
holds  the  mastership — which  is  literally  the  fact — is 
nearly  as  extensive  as  all  the  States  which  border  on  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  put  together.  No  great 
expenditure  of  arithmetic  is  necessary  to  prove  that,  to 
domineer  over  a  region  so  vast,  to  guard  all  its  passes, 
to  keep  watchmen  on  all  the  principal  heights  overlook 
ing  the  plains  usually  traveled,  to  keep  up  a  regular 
system  of  videttes  over  its  expanse,  to  strike  a  half  dozen 
places  two  and  three  hundred  miles  apart  at  the  same 
time,  to  organize  parties  for  scouring  the  wide  valleys 
and  attending  the  movements  of  travelers,  and  to  be  a 
terror  and  a  scourge  throughout  its  whole  area,  must 
employ  the  utmost  resources,  activity  and  energy  of  a 
7* 


142  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

numerous  people,  exceedingly  vigilant  and  rapid  in  their 
movements. 

Casual  observers  have,  unintentionally,  done  serious 
evil  by  underrating  their  real  strength,  to  an  extent  al 
most  inconceivable  among  those  who  are  better  informed. 
I  have  been  in  company  with  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred 
at  the  very  time  that  intelligence  was  received  that  a 
half  dozen  other  parties,  numbering  from  twenty  to 
three  hundred  each,  were  actively  engaged  in  commit 
ting  depredations  at  other  points  embraced  in  a  radius 
of  five  hundred  miles,  and  yet  I  have  seen  the  number 
of  Apaches  estimated  as  low  as  fifteen  hundred  and  two 
thousand.  Nearly  eight  years  of  personal  experiences 
have  satisfied  me  that  the  Apache  race,  collectively,  will 
number  fully  twenty-five  thousand  souls.  In  this  esti 
mate  the  Navajoes  and  Lipans  are  not  included,  but  those 
are  who  inhabit  portions  of  northwestern  Mexico.  Of 
this  number  five  thousand  are  capable  of  taking  the  field 
and  bearing  an  active  part  in  their  system  of  warfare.  A 
boy  of  fourteen  is  quite  as  formidable  an  antagonist  as  a 
man  of  forty.  From  behind  his  rocky  rampart  or  wooded 
covert  he  speeds  a  rifle  ball  as  straight  to  the  heart  of  his 
foe,  while  his  chances  for  escape,  in  the  event  of  failure, 
are  greater  than  those  of  his  more  aged  and  heavier  as 
sociate.  Many  of  the  women  delight  to  participate  in 
predatory  excursions,  urging  on  the  men,  and  actually 
taking  part  in  conflicts.  They  ride  like  centaurs  and 
handle  their  rifles  with  deadly  skill.  I  cannot  conceive 
why  the  bullet  sped  by  a  woman  should  not  be  quite  as 
much  an  object  of  danger  as  the  one  shot  from  the  weapon 
of  a  man.  In  the  estimate  made,  no  account  is  taken  of 
the  fighting  women,  who  are  numerous,  well  trained,  and 
desperate,  often  exhibiting  more  real  courage  than  the 
men. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  143 

If  any  one  indulges  the  idea  that  the  Apaches  are  weak 
and  few;  that  they  can  be  reduced  to  submission  by  the 
establishment  of  scattered  forts  in  the  regions  occupied 
by  them;  that  they  can  be  tamed,  and  rendered  peace 
able  under  any  circumstances;  that  they  are  to  be  bound 
and  holden  by  treaty  stipulations;  that  they  are  suscep 
tible  of  any  law  except  the  lex  lalionis,  or  are  to  be 
constrained  by  any  rule  but  that  of  the  argumentum  ad 
hominum,  they  are  wonderfully  in  error.  The  succeeding 
chapters  of  this  unpretending  volume  of  personal  experi 
ence — acquired  after  nearly  eight  years  of  extraordinary 
facilities  to  learn  the  truth — will  probably  have  the  effect 
to  disprove  these  sophistries  in  a  convincing  manner. 
And.  here,  I  assert,  that  I  was  in  every  way  predisposed 
to  offer  every  kindly  act  toward  that  race.  Admiring 
their  unyielding  resistance ;  their  acknowledged  prowess; 
their  undisputed  skill  and  dexterity;  their  undoubted  in 
telligence  and  native  force  of  character;  acquainted  with 
their  language,  traditions,  tribal  and  family  organiza 
tions,  and  enjoying  their  confidence  to  a  degree  never 
before  accorded  to  any  but  an  Apache,  I  strenuously 
used  every  effort  in  consonance  with  my  orders  and  plain 
duties,  to  better  their  condition,  and  instill  such  infor 
mation  as  would  best  conduce  to  their  future  peace  and 
happiness.  These  facts  will  appear  in  the  course  of  my 
narrative,  together  with  the  lamentable  failure  of  all  con 
ciliatory  schemes,  which  were  notably  aided  and  seconded 
by  the  commanding  General  and  his  subalterns. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

• 

Enter  the  Volunteer  Service. — The  Column  from  California. — Antelope  Peak. — 
Visited  by  Yumas.— Making  Metates.— Get  Rid  of  them  by  a  Ruse.— The 
Maricopas  Again.— Carrying  the  Mails.— Small  Force  in  Camp.— Visit  of 
Col.  Bigg. —  The  Maricopas  Recognize  me. —  Their  Gratitude. —  Captain 
Killmoon. —  Another  Remarkable  Lunar  Performance. —  Loring's  Assist 
ance. — Bargaining  for  Chickens. — Magic  Virtues  of  the  Compass. — Effect 
of  the  Burning  Glass. 

TEN  years  had  passed  away  before  I  renewed  acquaint 
ance  with  "Lo."  It  had  been  my  fervent  desire  and 
solemn  resolve  never  more  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  so 
much  suffering  and  personal  risk.  No  pecuniary  offer 
would  have  proved  a  sufficient  inducement  to  forego  that 
resolve.  But  the  dreadful  war  of  rebellion  burst  with 
fury  over  our  heads.  My  country  needed  the  help  of  all 
her  loyal  sons,  and  I  quietly  placed  myself  in  their  ranks 
as  Captain  of  a  company  of  the  Second  Cavalry,  Califor 
nia  Volunteers.  General  James  H.  Carleton  was  ordered 
to  advance  into  Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  with  a  column 
of  nearly  three  thousand  California!!  soldiers,  consisting 
of  artillery,  infantry  and  cavalry.  He  did  me  the  honor 
to  select  my  company  from  my  regiment  and  make  it  a 
part  of  his  force.  Although  nattered  by  the  compliment, 
as  mine  was  the  only  company  of  the  Second  Cavalry 
attached  to  his  column,  I  felt  by  no  means  delighted 
with  the  prospect  of  again  traveling  those  arid,  exten 
sive,  and  most  inhospitable  deserts,  mountain  gorges, 
and  scorching  plains,  over  which  the  Apache  held  almost 
undisturbed  rule.  In  military  life  obedience  to  order  is 
the  first  requisite  of  a  soldier,  and  of  course  I  submitted 


LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES.  145 

without  murmur  to  this  unexpected  and  disagreeable 
mandate. 

It  is  foreign  to  the  text  of  this  work  to  enter  into  de 
tails  of  experiences  not  indicative  of  Indian  character, 
and  I  will,  therefore,  pass  over  the  many  occurrences 
of  military  life  during  the  trying  winter  of  1861  and 
1862,  when  nearly  the  whole  State  was  overflowed,  and 
over  sixty  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property  destroyed 
by  the  floods.  It  is  not  necessary  to  recite  the  gigantic 
labors  performed  by  the  column  from  California,  in  mak 
ing  roads;  digging  and  restoring  wells  in  desert  places; 
constructing  bridges;  establishing  depots;  escorting 
trains,  and  sending  forward  advanced  bodies  of  observa 
tion;  for  certain  intelligence  had  been  received  that  the 
enemy  were  advancing  upon  the  frontiers  of  this  State, 
and  were  not  far  from  Fort  Yuma.  All  these  details 
have  no  connection  with  this  volume,  and  will  therefore 
be  ignored. 

I  was  ordered  in  the  advance  by  Gen.  Carleton,  with 
instruction  to  occupy  the  pass  at  Antelope  Peak  until  his 
arrival.  On  reaching  that  place  I  found  that  the  Gila 
river  had  made  great  inroads  upon  the  mesa  or  table 
land  between  it  and  the  hill,  until  only  a  passage  of 
something  like  a  hundred  yards  intervened.  Of  this 
pass  I  took  possession,  drawing  up  my  two  wagons  and 
picket  line  in  such  a  manner  as  to  intercept  all  travel, 
while  a  lookout  was  maintained  during  the  day  from  the 
top  of  the  peak,  and  a  well  ordered  patrol  scoured  the 
country  for  a  space  of  ten  miles  to  the  eastward  at  all 
times  of  day  and  night.  During  our  occupancy  of  this 
pass  a  band  of  Yumas,  about  thirty  in  number,  all  war 
riors,  came  up  from  the  Colorado  river  to  collect  stones, 
and  make  metates  for  their  wives.  The  metate  is  a  slightly 
hollowed  hard  stone,  upon  which  soaked  maize  is  laid, 


146  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

and  then  reduced  to  paste  by  the  vigorous  friction  of  an 
other  oblong  and  partially  rounded  stone,  in  the  hands 
of  squaws  "  who  love  their  lords."  The  paste  so  formed 
is  then  patted  between  the  hands  until  it  assumes  a  flat, 
thin  and  round  appearance,  when  it  is  laid  on  a  hot  pan 
and  baked  into  a  tortilla.  As  no  stones  of  a  suitable 
character  are  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Colorado 
river,  nearer  than  Antelope  Peak,  the  Yum  as  yearly  visit 
that  place  to  obtain  them,  as  the  metate  is  an  indispens 
able  culinary  utensil. 

Three  days  after  we  had  occupied  the  pass  we  were 
visited  by  the  Yumas,  who  immediately  set  to  work  se 
lecting  stones  and  hewing  them  into  the  required  shape 
in  their  rude  manner.  But  it  was  soon  discovered  that* 
several  blankets,  and  a  revolver,  for  which  I  was  res 
ponsible,  had  disappeared,  and  I  determined  to  get  rid 
of  my  Yumas  friends  soon — by  stratagem  if  possible,  by 
force  if  need  be.  The  deadly  feud  between  the  Yumas 
and  the  Maricopas  and  Pimos  has  already  been  stated, 
and  the  knowledge  of  this  feud  served  me  in  the  case. 
The  sentinel  on  the  hill  was  instructed  to  give  the  alarm 
to  indicate  the  advance  of  a  body  from  the  east,  and  to 
answer,  when  questioned,  that  they  were  Indians.  As  that 
side  of  the  compass  was  occupied  only  by  the  Maricopas 
and  Pimos,  such  an  arrangement  would  probably  have 
the  effect  of  alarming  the  Yumas  and  ridding  us  of  their 
presence.  In  obedience  to  order  the  signal  was  duly 
made  and  the  programme  carried  out.  The  Yumas  wrere 
greatly  alarmed,  and  inquired  whether  I  would  protect 
them  from  the  Maricopas.  My  answer  was,  that  I  had 
nothing  at  all  to  do  with  their  quarrels;  that  the  Mari 
copas  were  as  much  our  friends  as  the  Yumas;  that  I 
possessed  no  power  to  take  sides,  but  was  entirely  sub 
servient  to  the  orders  of  my  chief,  and  that,  if  they 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  147 

would  procure  such  an  order,  I  would  obey  it  to  tlie 
letter,  but  under  any  other  circumstances  refused  to  take 
action  in  the  premises.  This  was  enough.  Hastily  bund 
ling  up  their  metales  they  decamped  with  the  utmost  ce 
lerity  and  left  us  undisturbed  during  the  remainder  of 
our  stay  at  Antelope  Peak. 

-  Sometime  afterward  we  reached  the  first  Maricopa  vil 
lage,  where  I  was  ordered  to  establish  my  camp  and 
keep  up  communications  between  the  column  and  Cali 
fornia.  Lieut. -Col.  Theodore  Coult,  of  the  infantry,  was 
in  command  at  the  central  village,  twelve  miles  beyond 
my  post,  and  successive  orders  of  his  reduced  my  force 
to  the  Orderly  Sergeant,  E.  B.  Loring,  (subequently  Cap 
tain  of  Co.  A,  Second  Cavalry,  Cal.  Vols.)  one  man  with 
a  broken  arm,  and  myself.  My  chief  bugler  and  Quar 
termaster-Sergeant,  George  Shearer,  had  been  dispatched 
across  the  Grila  Bend,  sixty-five  miles,  with  the  mails,  and 
orders  to  bring  forward  the  return  mails  from  California. 
Our  camp  was  located  on  an  extensive,  clear  plain,  cov 
ered  with  short,  green  alkaline  grass,  wholly  unfit  for 
our  animals,  of  which  we  had  twenty-seven,  including 
horses  and  mules.  There  was  also  about  fifty  thousand 
dollars  worth  of  Government  property  to  be  guarded, 
and  for  which  I  was  responsible.  By  digging  a  foot 
or  two,  water  was  obtainable  in  abundance,  but  it  was 
so  deeply  impregnated  with  alkali  as  to  be  almost  un- 
drinkable.  However,  there  was  nothing  else  for  it, 
and  we  were  compelled  to  use  it  or  die  of  thirst.  The 
camp  ground  was  nearly  two  miles  west  from  the  near 
est  Maricopa  village,  and  had  frequently  been  invaded 
by  the  Apaches.  As  our  animals  were  sickened  by  the 
grass  about  us,  it  became  indispensable  to  graze  them  in 
a  more  favorable  locality  which  existed  about  three  miles 
further  westward,  and  exactly  where  the  Apaches  were 


148  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

frequently  visitors.  Fortunately,  we  escaped  their  at 
tentions  at  that  time.  Our  far-reaching  carbines  swept 
the  whole  expanse  around  "us,  and  we  had  formed  a  sort 
of  redoubt  of  earth,  as  a  defense  in  case  of  attack,  within 
which  our  ammunition,  spare  arms,  provisions  and  per 
sonal  effects  were  ensconced.  One  kept  guard  while 
the  other  slept.  Our  animals  were  placed  in  a  line  which 
could  be  swept  by  our  fire,  and  the  wagons  so  arranged 
as  to  furnish  additional  defense.  In  this  unpleasant  and 
inglorious  manner  several  days  passed,  until  the  arrival 
of  Col.  E.  A.  Bigg,  who  was  quite  astonished  at  the  facts 
brought  to  his  knowledge  and  immediately  imparted 
them  to  the  commanding  General,  by  whom  I  was  or 
dered  once  more  in  the  advance,  and  the  major  part  of 
of  my  company  reunited  under  my  control. 

The  grazing  ground  to  which  we  resorted  during  our 
stay  near  the  Maricopa  villages  had  been  the  scene  of  a 
desperate  conflict  between  that  tribe  and  the  Pimos,  on 
one  side,  and  the  Yumas,  Chimehuevis,  and  Amojaves, 
on  the  other.  Victory  rested  with  the  Maricopas  and 
Pimos,  who  slew  over  four  hundred  of  the  allied  tribes, 
and  so  humiliated  them  that  no  effort  has  ever  been 
made  on  their  part  to  renew  hostilities.  This  battle  oc 
curred  four  years  before  our  advent,  and  the  ground  was 
strewed  with  the  skulls  and  bones  of  slaughtered  war 
riors.  Every  day  large  numbers  of  the  Maricopas  visited 
my  camp  and  were  received  with  kindness,  which  they 
never  failed  to  appreciate.  On  one  occasion  the  head 
chief,  Juan  Chivari,  and  his  Lieutenant,  Palacio,  paid 
me  a  visit,  and  almost  immediately  recognized  me  as  the 
man  who,  ten  years  before,  they  had  dubbed  with  the 
title  of  "Captain  Killmooii,"  by  reason  of  the  part  I 
took  when  Lieut.  Whipple  was  observing  an  eclipse  of 
the  moon.  I  acknowledged  the  soft  impeachment  and 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  149 

was  received  with  every  demonstration  of  regard  and 
kindness.  Messengers  were  dispatched  to  inform  the 
Maricopa  man  and  woman  we  had  succored  more  than 
twelve  years  before;  and,  although  they  resided  some  ten 
miles  distant,  in  another  village,  in  less  than  four  hours 
they  were  hugging  and  embracing  me  as  if  I  were  their 
warmest  friend.  This  recognition  and  gratitude  for  the 
slight  services  rendered  touched  me  nearly,  especially 
when  the  priceless  information  they  imparted  at  the  time 
was  probably  the  means  of  saving  our  lives.  Every  little 
gift  within  my  possession  was  freely  and  gratefully  con 
ferred  upon  these  two  deserving  beings,  savages  though 
they  were,  who  had  married  and  were  passing  their 
peaceable  lives  together. 

One  afternoon  Palacio  said  to  me:  "You  killed  the 
moon  once,  and  brought  it  to  life  again.  That  was  good. 
You  are  a  great  medicine.  You  were  then  among  us. 
You  are  here  once  more.  I  have  told  my  young  people 
of  the  affair;  -but  they  will  not  believe,  although  hun 
dreds  were  witnesses.  When  can  you  kill  the  moon 
again,  and  prove  the  fact?" 

An  almanac  happened  to  be  within  reach,  and  I  re 
ferred  to  it  for  the  next  lunar  eclipse.  To  my  great  sur 
prise,  it  stated  that  a  full  eclipse  of  that  luminary  would 
take  place  two  nights  from  that  date.  Preserving  the 
greatest  composure,  I  told  Palacio  that  if  he  would 
bring  his  people  to  my  camp  two  nights  from  that  time, 
and  wait  till  a  certain  hour,  I  would  again  kill  the  moon, 
and  again  restore  her  to  life.  This  piece  of  news  was 
extensively  spread  throughout  all  the  villages;  and  next 
day  my  camp  was  thronged,  from  morning  till  night, 
with  Maricopas  and  Piinos  anxious  to  know  if  Palacio 
had  reported  correctly.  They  were  answered  in  the 
affirmative,  and  sent  away  with  very  mixed  sensations. 


150  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Before  the  time  for  slaughter  arrived,  I  visited  the 
grazing  ground  and  selected  seven  finely  polished  skulls 
of  Yumas,  which  I  kept  concealed  in  a  sack.  A  quan 
tity  of  powder  was  then  mixed  and  made  into  a  paste, 
and  so  arranged  as  to  compose  fuses.  A  few  iron  filings 
were  mixed  with  several  of  these  fuses,  and  a  number  of 
carbine  caps  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  flash  and 
snap  when  required.  The  skulls  were  placed  in  a  circle, 
the  center  of  which  I  was  to  occupy.  In  each  one  was 
a  burning  candle,  the  light  from  which  shone  through 
the  eye  sockets.  In  front  of  every  skull  was  a  small 
fuse,  and  from  each  fuse  led  a  train  of  dry  powder  to 
the  center  of  the  ring.  Back  of  the  fuses  were  placed 
considerable  charges  of  dry  powder,  which  would  ex 
plode  so  soon  as  the  fuses  burned  to  their  locations,  and 
which  explosion  would  immediately  extinguish  the  can 
dles,  leaving  all  in  darkness.  The  skulls  were  also  at 
tached  to  each  other  by  a  fine  but  strong  thread,  and 
the  thread  to  a  small  twine,  which,  when  drawn  in,  would 
bring  the  whole  affair  in  a  pile,  and  allow  of  their  secre 
tion.  All  my  designs  were  confided  to  Loring,  the  Or 
derly  Sergeant,  and  our  plans  laid. 

Long  before  the  appointed  time,  (about  ten  o'clock 
p.  M.)  the  camp  was  crowded  by  excited  Pimos  and  Mar- 
icopas.  Probably  three  thousand  were  present.  -  It  was 
necessary  to  distract  their  attention  from  my  movements, 
and  I  directed  Sergeant  Shearer  to  draw  them  off  by 
some  device  from  my  immediate  neighborhood.  In  this 
he  succeeded  admirably.  No  one  was  present  to  observe 
what  I  did.  The  skulls  were  properly  arranged;  the 
fuses,  powder  and  caps  laid,  and  candles  lighted;  and  I 
took  my  place  in  the  center,  armed  with  a  sabre,  my 
head  and  right  shoulder  bare,  and  my  gaze  fixed  on  the 
moon,  which  was  about  to  be  obscured.  The  signal 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  151 

was  given,  and  Shearer  led  the  excited  crowds  toward 
my  position.  "With  great  ceremony  I  drew  a  circle  round 
the  lighted  skulls,  and  forbade  the  already  frightened 
audience  from  passing  that  bound  on  pain  of  death.  I 
sat  in  the  center  of  the  circle,  with  my  head  between  my 
hands,  waiting  for  time  to  pass  until  the  eclipse  should 
be  complete,  or  nearly  so.  The  silence  and  anxiety  of 
that  immense  crowd  of  savages  was  something  fearful. 
I  was  undertaking  a  dangerous  experiment.  If  it  failed, 
the  consequences  might  be  fatal;  if  it  succeeded,  my  in 
fluence  among  them  would  be  almost  unbounded.  Cir 
cumstanced  as  I  was,  the  thing  was  worth  trying.  As  an 
officer  of  my  country,  I  felt  the  necessity  of  obtaining  a 
moral  as  well  as  physical  ascendancy  of  these  populous 
tribes,  which  occupied  the  highway  of  immigration  be 
tween  the  East  and  the  West.  I  was  almost  alone  among 
them,  and  they  had  begun  to  despise  the  paucity  of  my 
force.  It  had  become  necessary  to  re-assert  our  superi 
ority,  and  the  adventitious  circumstances  before  related 
favored  my  attempt.  Crouched  down,  with  a  naked  sa 
bre  in  my  hand,  gleaming  with  the  lights  thrown  through 
the  sightless  sockets  of  the  encircling  skulls,  I  impa 
tiently  waited  the  time  to  apply  the  match  to  my  train. 
It  came  at  last.  The  train  was  touched;  the  brilliant 
flame  flashed  with  the  speed  of  lightning  and  ignited  the 
fuses,  which  fizzed  and  sputtered,  and  sent  forth  streams 
of  bright  sparks,  lighting  up  the  scene  with  somewhat  of 
radiance,  when  suddenly  the  whole  affair  terminated  in 
darkness.  The  change  from  intense  light  was  so  great 
that  no  one  observed  Shearer  draw  in  and  secrete  the 
skulls,  and  when  vision  was  restored  the  whole  parapher 
nalia  had  passed  away.  In  the  meantime,  the  moon  be 
gan  to  reappear;  its  disc  became  rapidly  more  observa 
ble  and  brilliant,  until  she  again  "O'er  the  dark  her  sil- 


152  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

ver  mantle  threw  "  in  all  its  splendor.  The  effect  upon 
the  surrounding  Indians  I  can  not  pretend  to  describe; 
but  the  sobriquet  of  "Captain  Killmoon"  was  unani 
mously  adopted  as  a  very  proper  appellation.  About 
one  o'clock  A.  M.  the  savages  retired,  and  left  us  to  the 
enjoyment  of  a  hearty  laugh  and  undisturbed  repose. 

Two  days  afterward  I  had  occasion  to  visit  the  head 
quarters  of  Col.  Coult,  and  received  his  hospitality. 
That  officer  informed  me  that  since  our  arrival  the  In 
dians  had  increased  their  prices  for  ground  provisions, 
poultry,  etc.,  five  and  six  hundred  per  cent.  Chickens, 
which  had  been  a  drug  at  a  bit  a  piece,  were  then  worth 
seventy-five  cents.  I  told  the  Colonel  that  I  could  ob 
tain  all  I  required  at  twenty-five  cents  each,  and  he  com 
missioned  me  to  purchase  a  dozen  or  more  on  his  account. 
This  statement  of  mine  had  been  made  off-hand,  and 
without  any  deliberation.  I  had  bought  only  three  or 
four  chickens,  and  had  no  right  to  determine  the  mar 
ket;  but  as  the  promise  was  given,  it  was  my  duty  to  ful 
fill  it,  even  at  expense  to  myself.  Here,  again,  strategy 
came  into  play.  "Captain  Bob  Shorty"  was  once  more 
at  his  old  tricks. 

I  was  the  fortunate  possessor  of  a  powerful  magnet 
and  a  fine  pocket  compass,  and  with  these  instruments  I 
resolved  to  test  the  acumen  of  my  savage  friends.  A 
strong  burning  glass  aided  me  greatly,  as  it  did  on 
subsequent  occasions,  to  obtain  their  implicit  trust  and 
confidence.  Armed  with  these  peaceable  weapons,  I  in 
formed  the  Maricopas  that  chickens  would  find  a  ready 
market  in  my  camp,  and  in  a  few  hours  several  dozen 
were  proffered.  Determined  upon  paying  only  a  fair 
price,  I  coolly  commenced  rolling  a  cigarito,  at  the  same 
time  giving  one  to  a  Maricopa,  who  went  to  the  camp 
fire  and  got  a  light,  with  which  he  returned  and  prof- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  153 

fered  me  the  civility  of  igniting  my  cigarito  from  his. 
This  did  not  suit  my  purpose,  and  taking  my  burning 
glass,  I  said — "Do  you  think  that  a  'Great  Medicine* 
like  me  would  light  his  cigar  from  common  fire?  No;  I 
will  draw  it  from  heaven/'  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
words,  I  drew  a  focus  in  that  glaring  sun,  which  soon 
gave  me  the  needed  fire.  This  simple  achievement  filled 
them  with  unbounded  astonishment,  and  prepared  them 
for  the  reception  of  other  miracles.  Turning  to  a  war 
rior  who  appeared  a  person  of  some  consequence,  I  or 
dered  him  to  produce  his  chickens,  whereupon  half  a 
dozen  of  fair  quality  were  offered  for  sale.  I  took  them 
one  by  one  in  my  hand,  appeared  to  go  through  a  most 
careful  examination,  and  then  suddenly  turning  to  the 
man,  inquired  what  he  meant  by  trying  to  deceive  me. 
The  poor  fellow  was  exceedingly  mortified,  and  asked  in 
what  particular.  The  reply  was,  you  have  offered  to  sell 
me  sick  chickens,  unfit  for  food,  and  are  therefore  at 
tempting  an  imposition.  He  stoutly  denied  the  charge, 
insisting  that  the  chickens  were  sound  and  well.  We 
will  soon  test  that,  I  answered,  and  then  deposited  my 
fine  pocket  compass  on  the  ground,  holding  the  magnet 
concealed  in  the  hollow  of  my  left  hand.  v  The  needle , 
soon  ceased  oscillating  and  settled  down  to  its  proper 
pointings,  when  the  Indian  was  requested  to  turn  the 
compass  round,  which  he  did,  and,  to  his  great  wonder, 
the  needle  again  resumed  its  normal  situation.  After 
several  essays  of  this  kind,  he  became  convinced  that  the 
north  pole  would  invariably  point  northward,  no  matter 
what  changes  were  made  in  the  position  of  the  case.  So 
soon  as  the  required  impression  had  been  effected,  they 
were  told  to  lay  their  chickens,  one  after  the  other,  either 
on  the  east  or  west  side  of  the  compass,  and  informed 
that  if  the  birds  were  good  and  healthy  no  change  would 
be  observed  in  the  instrument;  but  if  not,  the  north  pole 


154  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

would  point  directly  at  the  object  and  detect  the  impo 
sition.  These  injunctions  were  implicitly  followed,  and 
keeping  the  magnet  in  my  left  hand,  with  the  index  fin 
ger  of  the  right,  I  approached  the  instrument,  muttering 
several  cabalistic  words,  and  described  a  half  circle  close 
to  and  about  the  case.  Of  course,  no  movement  fol 
lowed,  and  the  chicken  was  accepted  at  the  price  asked. 
In  this  manner  two  or  three  were  bought:  but  then  came 
my  turn.  Changing  the  magnet  into  the  hollow  of  my 
right  hand,  I  again  approached  the  compass,  at  the  south 
pole,  and  instantly  it  commenced  to  circle  round  in  obe 
dience  to  well  known  causes,  and  under  full  control  of 
the  magnet,  until  the  north  pole  pointed  exactly  toward 
the  doomed  chicken.  There!  I  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of 
simulated  indignation,  did  I  not  tell  you  that  some  of 
your  chickens  were  sick  and  bad?  Do  you  expect  to 
cheat  a  "  Great  Medicine?"  If  you  are  not  more  honest 
for  the  future,  you  may  possibly  be  visited  by  a  malady, 
which  will  kill  off  all  your  fowls. 

By  this  time  a  large  and  anxious  crowd  had  assembled 
to  witness  this  new  and  extraordinary  test,  and  any  at 
tempt  to  describe  their  wonderment  would  be  fruitless. 
Realizing  the  impression  made,  I  then  continued  in  the 
following  strain :  I  do  not  believe  that  you  meant  to  be 
bad,  but  rather  give  you  credit  for  ignorance,  and  I  only 
claim  that  all  the  sick  chickens  shall  be  forfeited  to  me, 
for  I  can  cure  them,  and  make  them  ultimately  useful. 
This  proposition  was  eagerly  accepted,  nem.  con.,  and  in^ 
this  manner  I  secured  six  dozen  of  excellent  birds  at  the 
rate  of  two  bits  each,  while  only  twelve  miles  distant  my 
brother  officers  were  paying  six  bits  each  for  inferior 
birds.  The  Indians,  knowing  us  to  be  in  their  power 
for  supplies  of  this  kind,  had  raised  the  prices  five  hun 
dred  per  cent. ,  and  I  had  turned  the  scales  against  them 
by  a  very  simple  process. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Sent  to  the  Front.  — Dreadful  Storm  at  the  San  Pedro  Eiver.— Night  Alarm.— 
Apaches  Gathering.— Dragoon  Springs.— Capt.  Thomas  Roberts.— Apache 
Pass.— Bloody  and  Desperate  Fight  with  Apaches.— The  Savages  Whipped. 
—  Remarkable  Infantry  March.  —  Heroism  of  John  Teal.  —  He  wounds 
Mangas  Colorado,  and  whips  off  Fifteen  Apaches. — Gallantry  of  Sergeant 
Mitchel  and  his  Cavalry.  —  Effect  of  Shelling  the  Apaches.  —  Number  of 
Indians  Killed.— Our  Losses.— Re-enter  the  Pass.— Refused  Permission  to 
Charge. — San  Simon. 

IN  consequence  of  the  report  made  by  Lieut. -Col.  E. 
A.  Riggj  Gen.  Carleton  again  ordered  me  in  the  advance, 
with  Capt.  Thomas  Koberts,  Co.  E,  First  California  In 
fantry.  Arriving  at  the  San  Pedro  river,  it  became 
necessary  to  learn  whether  Dragoon  Springs,  some  twen 
ty-eight  miles  further  on,  could  supply  both  companies, 
at  a  time,  with  water,  or  whether  we  would  be  obliged 
to  break  into  detachments.  Capt.  Roberts  took  the  ad 
vance  with  his  infantry  and  three  wagons,  having  also 
selected  seven  of  my  best  mounted  men  to  serve  as  scouts 
and  couriers.  I  remained  behind  with  fifteen  of  my  cav 
alry  and  ten  of  Roberts'  company,  including  the  detach 
ment  left  as  a  garrison  at  the  river,  where  a  tolerable 
adobe  building,  erected  by  the  Overland  Mail  Stage 
Company,  afforded  decent  shelter,  and  a  defensible  po 
sition. 

The  night  after  Roberts  left  was  one  of  the  most 
stormy  I  ever  witnessed.  The  rain  descended  in  floods. 
Earth  and  sky  appeared  thunder  riven;  blazing  light 
nings  leaped  from  the  inky  clouds,  and  absorbed  the 
Cimmerian  darkness  with  their  blinding  flashes.  The  San 


156  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

Pedro  roared  and  foamed,  the  animals  quailed  and  bent 
before  the  storm,  and  all  nature  seemed  convulsed.  I 
was  in  charge  of  sixteen  wagons  with'  their  mules  and 
precious  freight,  and  my  chief  attention  was  elicited  to 
secure  their  safety.  Experience  had  taught  me  that  the 
Apaches  would  select  exactly  such  a  time  to  make  a  bold 
attempt,  and  I  doubled  my  sentries.  Throwing  myself 
on  the  earthen  floor,  in  front  of  a  decent  fire,  without 
removing  my  side  arms  or  any  portion  of  my  clothing,  I 
endeavored  to  obtain  some  repose.  About  two  o'clock 
A.  M.,  I  was  aroused  by  the  Sergeant  of  the  guard,  who 
informed  me  that  strange  lights  were  visible  coming 
down  the  hills  on  the  west,  north  and  south  sides.  A 
hasty  survey  showed  me  four  lights,  as  of  large  burning 
brands,  on  three  different  sides  of  the  compass,  and  ap 
parently  approaching  the  station.  I  felt  convinced  from 
this  open  demonstration,  that  no  attack  was  meditated, 
for,  in  that  case,  the  greatest  secrecy  and  caution  would 
have  been  observed  by  the  Apaches.  Nevertheless,  the 
garrison  was  summoned  and  disposed  to  the  best  advan 
tage.  All  fires  were  extinguished,  and  all  lights  shrouded 
from  observation.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  seven 
or  eight  more  lights  made  their  appearance,  and  seemed 
to  be  carried  by  persons  walking  at  a  rapid  pace.  Some 
of  them  approached  within,  what  I  considered,  two  hun 
dred  yards  of  the  station,  and  at  one  time  I  felt  greatly 
inclined  to  try  the  effect  of  a  chance  shot  from  ray  rifle, 
but  gave  up  the  idea  from  the  conviction  that  no  Apache 
would  carry  a  torch  within  that  distance,  and  maintain 
an  erect  position,  while  my  fire  might  expose  the  persons 
of  my  men  and  draw  a  more  effective  return.  After  an 
hour  and  a  half  of  anxious  watch,  the  lights  gradually 
united  and  faded  away  toward  the  east. 

It  was  not  until  more  than  a  year  had  elapsed  that  I 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  157 

learned  the  meaning  of  this  occurrence.  A  celebrated 
leading  man  of  the  Mescalero  Apaches,  named  Gian-nah- 
tah, or  "  Always  Ready,"  gave  the  desired  information, 
which  precisely  tallied  with  succeeding  events.  He  said 
that,  as  the  Apaches  are  a  dispersed  and  perpetually 
wandering  race,  it  is  impossible  for  one  detachment  to 
know  where  others  might  be  at  any  time;  but  that  when 
a  great  body  of  them  was  needed  for  any  joint  under 
taking  they  made  smoke  signals  of  a  certain  character 
by  day,  and  signals  of  fire  by  night.  That,  on  the  occa 
sion  of  which  I  write,  the  nature  of  the  country  prohibited 
fire  signals  from  being  seen  except  from  very  short  dis 
tances,  and  runners  were  hurried  through  the  district, 
bearing  torches,  which  would  indicate  that  the  aid  of  all 
within  sight  was  required.  In  fine,  it  was  the  "speed, 
Malise,  speed,"  of  the  Apache.  This  explanation  will 
account  for  what  followed. 

Between  three  and  four  o'clock  A.  M.,  just  after  the 
lights  had  disappeared,  the  sound  of  horses  advancing 
at  a  fast  gallop  was  heard  approaching  the  station.  The 
sentinel  challenged,  and  was  immediately  answered  with 
the  round  Saxon  response,  "Friends."  It  proved  to  be 
two  of  my  own  company,  who  had  been  sent  back  by 
Capt.  Roberts  with  the  information  that  there  was  abund 
ance  of  water  at  Dragoon  Springs,  and  instruction  to  join 
him  with  the  train  without  delay.  The  poor  fellows  had 
ridden  twenty-eight  miles  through  that  terrible  storm, 
and  in  the  heart  of  a  country  swarming  with  hostile  and 
ever  vigilant  savages.  Two  days  subsequently  they  had 
a  splendid  opportunity  to  test  their  gallantry,  and  most 
nobly  did  they  respond  to  the  appeal.  In  obedience  to 
order,  we  set  forward  before  daylight  to  join  Captain 
Roberts,  and  reached  Dragoon  Springs,  without  inci 
dent,  at  three  o'clock  p.  M.  A  long  and  fatiguing  march 


158  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

of  forty  miles  had  to  be  made  before  reaching  Apache 
Pass,  where  the  next  water  was  to  be  had,  and  as  we 
were  in  doubt  as  to  the  quantity,  it  was  again  agreed 
that  I  should  remain  at  Dragoon  Springs  until  next 
morning,  while  Capt.  Koberts  was  to  push  ahead  with 
his  infantry  and  seven  of  my  company,  leaving  the  train 
under  my  charge.  At  half-past  five  o'clock  P.  M.  he  set 
out,  and  the  strictest  vigilance  was  maintained  in  camp 
the  whole  night.  By  daylight  next  morning  we  were 
again  in  the  saddle,  and  the  train  duly  straightened  out 
for  the  long  and  dreary  march.  Had  we  not  been  en 
cumbered  with  wagons  my  cavalry  could  have  made  the 
distance  easily  in  seven  hours;  but  we  were  compelled 
to  keep  pace  with  those  indispensable  transports  of  food, 
ammunition,  clothing  and  medicine.  A  little  before  dark 
we  arrived  at  Ewell's  Station,  fifteen  miles  west  of  the 
pass,  and  I  determined  to  park  the  train,  as  the  mules 
had  almost  given  out,  and  were  quite  unable  to  accom 
plish  the  remainder  of  the  march  without  some  rest. 
Just  as  I  had  come  to  this  conclusion  we  perceived  sev 
eral  riders  coming  toward  us  with  all  speed,  and  they 
soon  proved  to  be  the  detachment  of  my  company  which 
had  been  detailed  to  act  with  Capt.  Eoberts.  Two  of 
them  were  mounted  behind  two  others,  and  all  had  evi 
dently  ridden  hard.  Sergeant  Mitchell  approached,  and 
saluting,  said:  "Capt.  Roberts  has  been  attacked  in 
Apache  Pass  by  a  very  large  body  of  Indians.  We 
fought  them  for  six  hours,  and  finally  compelled  them 
to  run.  Capt.  Eoberts  then  directed  us  to  come  back 
through  the  pass,  and  report  to  you  with  orders  to  park 
the  train  and  take  every  precaution  for  its  safety.  He 
will  join  you  to-night.  On  leaving  the  pass  we  were 
pursued  by  over  fifty  well  armed  and  mounted  Apaches, 
and  we  lost  three  horses,  killed  under  us,  and  that  one — 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  159 

pointing  to  a  splendid  gray — is  mortally  wounded.  Ser 
geant  Maynard,  now  present,  has  his  right  arm  fractured 
at  the  elbow,  with  a  rifle  ball,  and  John  Teal  we  believe 
to  be  killed,  as  we  saw  him  cut  off  by  a  band  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  savages,  while  we  were  unable  to  render  him 
any  assistance." 

The  wagons  were  ordered  to  be  parked;  every  man 
was  supplied  with  ammunition  and  posted  to  the  best 
advantage;  proper  attention  was  paid  to  my  wounded 
sergeant,  and  the  camp  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
insure  a  warm  reception  to  a  large  body  of  savages.  We 
remained  on  the  qui  vive  until  one  o'clock  A.  M.,  when  to 
my  extreme  surprise  and  sincere  gratification  we  were 
joined  by  John  Teal,  who  was  supposed  to  have  been 
killed.  He  brought  with  him  his  saddle,  blanket,  sabre 
and  pistols,  having  lost  his  horse  and  spurs.  His  narra 
tive  is  so  full  of  interest,  and  so  well  illustrates  a  phase 
in  Apache  character,  that  it  is  worth  recording. 

"Soon  after  we  left  the  pass,"  said  he,  "we  opened 
upon  a  sort  of  hollow  plain  or  vale,  about  a  mile  wide, 
across  which  we  dashed  with  speed.  I  was  about  two 
hundred  yards  in  the  rear,  and  presently  a  body  of  about 
fifteen  Indians  got  between  me  and  my  companions.  I 
turned  my  horse's  head  southward  and  coursed  along  the 
plain,  lengthwise,  in  the  hope  of  outrunning  them,  but 
my  horse  had  been  too  sorely  tested,  and  could  not  get 
away.  They  came  up  and  commenced  firing,  one  ball 
passing  through  the  body  of  my  horse,  just  forward  of 
his  hind  quarters.  It  was  then  about  dark,  and  I  imme 
diately  dismounted,  determined  to  fight  it  out  to  the  bit 
ter  end.  My  horse  fell,  and  as  I  approached  him,  he 
began  to  lick  my  hands.  I  then  swore  to  kill  at  least 
one  Apache.  Lying  down  behind  the  body  of  my  dying 
animal,  I  opened  fire  upon  them  with  my  carbine,  which 


160  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

being  a  breech-loader,  enabled  me  to  keep  up  a  lively 
fusillade.  This  repeated  fire  seemed  to  confuse  the  sav 
ages,  and  instead  of  advancing  with  a  rush,  they  com 
menced  to  circle  round  me,  firing  occasional  shots  in  my 
direction.  They  knew  that  I  also  had  a  six-shooter  and 
a  sabre,  and  seemed  unwilling  to  try  close  quarters.  In 
this  way  the  fight  continued  for  over  an  hour,  when  I 
got  a  good  chance  at  a  prominent  Indian  and  slipped  a 
carbine  ball  into  his  breast.  He  must  have  been  a  man 
of  some  note,  because  soon  after  that  they  seemed  to  get 
away  from  me,  and  I  could  hear  their  voices  growing 
fainter  in  the  distance.  I  thought  this  a  good  time  to 
make  tracks,  and  divesting  myself  of  my  spurs,  I  took 
the  saddle,  bridle  and  blanket  from  my  dead  horse  and 
started  for  camp.  I  have  walked  eight  miles  since  then/' 

It  is  needless  to  add  how  gratified  I  was  to  receive  this 
brave  and  loyal  soldier  again,  and  find  him  free  from 
wound  or  scar.  We  subsequently  ascertained  that  the 
man  he  shot  was  no  less  an  individual  than  the  celebrated 
Mangas  Colorado,  but,  I  regret  to  .add,  the  rascal  sur 
vived  his  wound  to  cause  us  more  trouble. 

About  an  hour  after  Teal  had  come  in,  I  was  joined 
by  Capt.  Koberts  with  thirty  men,  and  then  got  a  full 
description  of  the  fight.  I  omitted  to  mention  that  two 
twelve-pounder  mountain  howitzers  were  with  our  little 
force,  and  to  these  guns  the  victory  is  probably  attrib 
utable.  It  seems  that  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  or 
forty  miners  had  located  themselves  at  the  Pino  Alto 
gold  mines,  or  the  same  mines  mentioned  in  a  former 
portion  of  this  work  as  the  scene  where  Mr.  Hay  and  his 
family  were  attacked  and  their  cattle  stolen  by  the 
Apaches,  and  also  where  Delgadito  got  badly  scored  by 
Wells.  This  was  the  great  stronghold  of  Mangas  and 
his  band,  and  finding  himself  unable  to  dislodge  the  un- 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  161 

welcome  intruders  without  help,  he  had  dispatched  mes 
sengers  to  Cheis,  the  principal  warrior  of  the  Chiricahui 
Apaches,  to  assist  him  in  expelling  the  miners.  Cheis 
was  too  much  occupied  by  the  advancing  column  of 
American  troops  to  give  heed  to  this  call,  and  failed  to 
attend.  Such  want  of  faith  was  inexplicable  to  Mangas, 
who  knew  nothing  of  our  approach,  and  at  the  head  of 
two  hundred  warriors  he  visited  Cheis,  to  inquire  the 
reason  for  his  apparent  defection  from  the  Apache  cause. 
In  reply  Cheis  took  Mangas  to  the  top  of  the  Chiricahui 
and  showed  him  the  dust  made  by  our  advance  guard, 
and  told  him  that  it  was  his  first  duty  to  defend  himself, 
and  that  if  Mangas  would  join  in  the  affair,  they  could 
whip  the  "white  eyes,"  and  make  themselves  masters  of 
the  spoil.  This  arrangement  was  immediately  agreed  to 
by  Mangas,  and  their  united  forces,  amounting  to  nearly 
seven  hundred  warriors,  so  disposed  as  to  take  Roberts 
by  surprise  and  insure  his  defeat.  But  "the  best  laid 
plans  of  men  and  mice,  aft  gang  aglee,"  and  these  finely 
fixed  schemes  were  doomed  to  be  terribly  overthrown. 

Roberts,  entirely  unsuspecting  any  attack,  entered  the 
pass  with  the  ordinary  precautions.  He  had  penetrated 
two-thirds  of  the  way,  when  from  both  sides  of  that 
battlemented  gorge  a  fearful  rain  of  fire  and  lead  was 
poured  upon  his  troops,  within  a  range  of  from  thirty 
to  eighty  yards.  On  either  hand  the  rocks  afforded  nat 
ural  and  almost  unassailable  defenses.  Every  tree  con 
cealed  an  armed  warrior,  and  each  warrior  boasted  his 
rifle,  six-shooter  and  knife.  A  better  armed  host  could 
scarcely  be  imagined.  From  behind  every  species  of 
shelter  came  the  angry  and  hissing  missiles,  and  not  a 
soul  to  be  seen.  Quickly,  vigorously,  and  bravely  did 
his  men  respond,  but  to  what  effect?  They  were  ex 
pending  ammunition  to  no  purpose;  their  foes  were  in- 


162  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

visible;  there  was  no  way  to  escalade  those  impregnable 
natural  fortresses;  the  howitzers  were  useless,  and  the 
men  doubtful  how  to  attack  the  foe.  In  such  strait, 
Roberts  determined  to  fall  back,  reform  and  renew  the 
contest.  The  orders  were  given  and  obeyed  with  per 
fect  discipline.  Beaching  the  entrance  to  the  pass  the 
troops  were  reorganized,  skirmishers  were  thrown  out 
over  the  hills  so  as  to  command  the  road;  the  howitzers 
were  loaded,  and  belched  forth  their  shells  whenever 
found  necessary.  In  this  manner  the  troops  again 
marched  forward.  Water  was  indispensable  for  the  con 
tinuance  of  life.  Unless  they  could  reach  the  springs 
they  must  perish.  A  march  of  forty  miles  under  an 
Arizonian  sun,  and  over  wide  alkaline  plains,  with  their 
blinding  dust  and  thirst-provoking  effects,  had  already 
been  effected,  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  march  back 
again  without  serious  loss  of  life,  and  untold  suffering, 
without  taking  into  account  the  seeming  disgrace  of 
being  defeated  by  seven  times  their  force  of  Apaches. 
What  would  it  avail  those  brave  men  to  know  that  the 
Indians  were  as  well  armed  as  they;  that  they  possessed 
all  the  advantages;  that  they  outnumbered  them  seven 
to  one,  when  the  outside  and  carping  world  would  be  so 
ready  to  taunt  them  with  defeat,  and  adduce  so  many 
specious  reasons  why  they  should  have  annihilated  the 
savages  ? 

Forward,  steadily  forward,  under  a  continuous  and 
galling  fire,  did  those  gallant  companies  advance  until 
they  reached  the  old  station  house  in  the  pass,  about  six 
hundred  yards  from  the  springs.  The  house  was  built  of 
stone,  and  afforded  ample  shelter;  but  still  they  had  no 
water,  and  eighteen  hours,  with  a  march  of  forty  miles, 
including  six  hours  of  sharp  fighting,  had  been  passed 
without  a  drop.  Men  and  officers  were  faint,  worn-out 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  163 

with  fatigue,  want  of  sleep,  and  intense  privation  and 
excitement;  still  Roberts  urged  them  on,  and  led  the 
way.  His  person  was  always  the  most  exposed;  his 
voice  ever  cheering  and  encouraging.  Immediately  com 
manding  the  springs  are  two  hills,  both  high  and  diffi 
cult  of  ascent.  One  is  to  the  east,  and  the  other  over 
looks  them  from  the  south.  On  these  heights  the  Apaches 
had  built  rude  but  efficient  breastworks  by  piling  rocks 
one  upon  the  other  so  as  to  form  crenelle  holes  between 
the  interstices.  From  these  fortifications  they  kept  up  a 
rapid  and  scathing  fire,  which  could  not  be  returned 
with  effect  by  musketry  from  three  to  four  hundred  feet 
below.  The  howitzers  were  got  into  position,  but  one 
of  them  was  so  badly  managed  that  the  gunners  were 
brought  immediately  under  the  fire  from  the  hills  with 
out  being  able  to  make  even  a  decent  response.  In  a 
few  moments  it  was  overturned  by  some  unaccountable 
piece  of  stupidity,  and  the  artillerists  driven  off  by  the 
sharp  fire  of  the  savages.  At  that  juncture,  Sergeant 
Mitchell  with  his  six  associates  of  my  company,  made  a 
rush  to  bring  off  the  howitzer  and  place  it  in  a  better 
position.  Upon  reaching  the  guns,  they  determined  not 
to  turn  it  down  hill,  but  up,  so  as  to  keep  their  fronts  to 
the  fire.  While  performing  this  gallant  act,  they  were 
assailed  with  a  storm  of  balls,  but  escaped  untouched; 
after  having  righted  the  gun,  brought  it  away,  and 
placed  it  in  a  position  best  calculated  to  perform  effect 
ive  service.  •  So  soon  as  this  feat  had  been  happily  ac 
complished,  the  exact  range  was  obtained  and  shell  after 
shell  hurled  upon  the  hills,  bursting  just  when  they 
should.  The  Apaches,  wholly  unused  to  such  formida 
ble  engines,  precipitately  abandoned  their  rock  works 
and  fled  in  all  directions.  It  was  nearly  night.  To  re 
main  under  those  death-dealing  heights  during  the  night, 


164  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

when  camp-fires  would  afford  trie  enemy  the  best  kind 
of  advantage,  was  not  true  policy,  and  Capt.  Roberts 
ordered  each  man  to  take  a  drink  from  the  precious  and 
hardly-earned  springs,  and  fill  his  canteen,  after  which 
the  troops  retired  within  the  shelter  afforded  by  the 
stone  station  house,  the  proper  guards  and  pickets  being 
posted. 

In  this  fight  Roberts  had  two  men  killed  and  three 
wounded,  and  I  afterwards  learned  from  a  prominent 
Apache  who  Was  present  in  the  engagement,  that  sixty- 
three  warriors  were  killed  outright  by  the  shells,  while 
only  three  perished  from  musketry  fire.  He  added — 
:<  We  would  have  done  well  enough  if  you  had  not  fired 
wagons  at  us."  The  howitzers  being  on  wheels,  were 
deemed  a  species  of  wagon  by  the  Apaches,  wholly  in 
experienced  in  that  sort  of  warfare. 

Capt.  Roberts  suffered  his  men  to  recruit  their  wasted 
energies  with  supper,  and  then  taking  one-half  his  com 
pany,  the  remainder  being  left  under  command  of  Lieut. 
Thompson,  marched  back  to  Swell's  Station,  fifteen 
miles,  to  assure  the  safety  of  the  train  under  my  com 
mand,  and  escort  it  through  the  pass.  As  before  stated, 
he  reached  my  camp  a  little  after  two  o'clock  A.M.,  where 
the  men  rested  until  five,  when  the  march  toward  the 
pass  was  resumed.  Several  alarms  were  given  before 
his  arrival,  and  we  heard  the  Apaches  careering  around 
us;  but  they  made  no  attack,  and  kept  out  of  sight.  At 
five  o'clock  A.M.,  the  train  was  straightened  out  with 
half  my  effective  cavalry  force  three  hundred  yards  in 
the  advance,  and  the  other  half  about  as  far  in  the  rear, 
while  the  wagons  were  flanked  on  either  side  by  the  in 
fantry.  In  this  order  we  entered  that  most  formidable 
of  gorges,  when  the  bugles  blew  a  halt.  A  considerable 
body  of  the  infantry  were  then  thrown  out  on  either  side 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  165 

as  skirmishers,  with  a  small  reserve  as  the  rallying  point, 
while  the  cavalry  were  ordered  to  guard  the  train,  and 
make  occasional  dashes  into  the  side  canons.  "  Up  hill 
and  down  dale"  went  the  skirmishers,  plunging  into 
dark  and  forbidding  denies,  and  climbing  steep,  rocky 
and  difficult  acclivities,  while  the  cavalry  made  frequent 
sorties  from  the  main  body  to  the  distance  of  several 
hundred  yards.  Being  without  a  subaltern,  Gen.  Carle- 
ton  had  assigned  Lieut.  Muller,  of  the  First  Cavalry 
California  Volunteers,  to  service  with  my  command. 
This  officer  soon  after  gave  sufficient  proof  of  his  gal 
lantry  and  zeal,  for  which  I  now  gratefully  return  thanks. 

In  this  manner  we  progressed  through  that  great 
stronghold  of  the  Apaches  and  dangerous  defile,  until 
we  joined  the  detachment  under  Lieut.  Thompson,  at 
the  stone  station  house,  where  we  quartered  for  the  re 
mainder  of  that  day.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  Capt. 
Roberts'  company  of  Californian  Infantry  had  marched 
forty  miles  without  food  or  water,  had  fought  for  six 
hours  with  desperation  against  six  times  their  numbers 
of  splendidly  armed  Apaches,  ensconced  behind  their 
own  natural  ramparts,  and  with  every  possible  advantage 
in  their  favor;  had  driven  that  force  before  them,  occu 
pied  their  defiles,  taken  their  strongholds,  and,  after 
only  one  draught  of  water  and  a  hasty  meal,  had  made 
another  march  of  thirty  miles,  almost  absolutely  with 
out  rest.  I  doubt  much  if  any  record  exists  to  show 
where  infantry  have  made  a  march  of  seventy  miles, 
fought  one  terrible  battle  of  six  hours'  duration,  and 
achieved  a  decided  victory  under  such  circumstances. 

The  shrill  fife,  the  rattling  drum  and  the  mellow  bu 
gles  sounded  the  reveille  before  dawn  of  the  next  day. 
The  camp-fires  were  soon  throwing  up  their  lively  jets 
of  flame  and  smoke,  while  the  grateful  odors  of  frying 
8* 


166  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

bacon  and  browning  flap-jacks  saluted  the  appreciative 
nostrils  of  the  hungry  troops.  But  we  had  no  water, 
and  without  water  we  could  have  no  coffee,  that  most 
coveted  of  all  rations.  There  was  reason  to  believe  that 
the  Apaches  intended  to  put  our  metal  to  another  trial. 
They  had  again  occupied  the  heights  above  the  springs, 
and  also  the  water  sources,  which  were  thickly  sheltered 
by  trees  and  willow  underbrush.  Roberts  again  made 
preparations  to  dislodge  the  savages,  and  ordered  his 
howitzers  into  the  most  favorable  positions.  Just  then 
I  saluted  him,  and  said,  "  Captain,  you  have  done  your 
share  of  this  fight;  I  now  respectfully  ask  for  my  chance. 
If  you  will  throw  your  shells  on  the  heights  above  the 
springs,  I  will  charge  the  latter  with  my  men,  and  clean 
out  the  Apaches  in  a  very  few  moments.  I  certainly 
think  this  concession  due  me." 

Roberts  reflected  a  few  moments,  and  replied — "  I  am 
truly  sorry  that  your  wish  cannot  be  granted.  Yours  is 
the  only  cavalry  I  have,  and  their  safety  is  indispensable 
to  ours.  We  are  going  to  the  San  Simon  river,  where  I 
am  ordered  to  establish  a  depot  and  await  the  arrival  of 
other  troops  with  supplies.  You  are  to  take  back  this 
train  for  those  supplies,  and  you  will  have  enough  to  do 
in  your  proper  turn.  I  cannot,  under  the  circumstances, 
grant  your  request/3 

To  this  I  replied:  "Your  objections  appear  cogent; 
but  I  cannot  perceive  why  all  these  things  cannot  be  ac 
complished,  and  still  permit  my  men,  who  are  burning 
with  anxiety,  to  charge  those  springs  and  disperse  that 
wretched  horde  of  savages.  They  are  already  cowed, 
and  will  immediately  flee  before  a  vigorous  assault." 

Capt.  Roberts  replied:  "You  have  had  my  answer, 
Captain,  and  it  should  be  enough.  I  do  not  intend  to 
jeopard  my  own  meri,  but  will  shell  the  heights  and 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  167 

springs,  and  effect  a  bloodless  victory,  in  so  far  as  we 
are  concerned/' 

After  this  rebuff  I  could  make  no  further  personal  ap 
peal,  but  instructed  Lieut.  Muller  to  beseech  Capt.  Kob- 
erts,  and,  if  possible,  induce  him  to  change  his  mind. 
Muller  argued  for  half  an  hour,  until  Koberts  told  him 
either  to  obey  or  be  placed  under  arrest.  This  ended 
the  colloquy.  The  howitzers  then  opened  fire — the  shells 
burst  splendidly;  large  numbers  of  Apaches  were  ob 
served  to  decamp  from  the  heights  in  the  most  hurried 
manner;  the  springs  also  underwent  a  similar  cleaning, 
and  in  less  than  twenty  minutes  the  troops  were  permit 
ted  to  advance  and  fill  their  canteens,  while  my  cavalry, 
without  waiting  further  orders,  made  a  rush  after  the 
retreating  savages  until  the  rapid  rise  and  terribly  broken 
nature  of  the  ground  checked  their  career.  The  hill 
sides  were  covered  with  fleeing  Apaches,  who  seemed 
imbued  with  supernatural  powers  of  locomotion.  Up 
wards  they  sped  with  the  celerity  of  Alpine  goats,  until 
they  disappeared  behind  the  crests  of  tall  mountains  and 
rugged  hills.  In  peace  and  quiet  we  partook  of  the 
precious  fountain.  Our  horses  and  mules,  which  had 
not  tasted  water  for  forty-eight  hours,  and  were  nearly 
famished  from  so  dusty  a  road  and  so  long  a  journey 
under  the  hottest  of  suns,  drank  as  if  they  would  never 
be  satisfied.  An  hour  later  we  moved  through  the  pass, 
entered  upon  the  wide  plain  which  separates  it  from  the 
San  Simon  river,  and  reached  our  camp  on  that  creek, 
without  further  trouble,  about  four  o'clock  p.  M. 


CHAPTEK    XIV. 

Return  from  the  San  Simon. — Avoid  Apache  Pass. — Reasons  for  so  Doing. — Night 
Marching.  — Apaches  show  Themselves.  —  Rattlesnakes.  —  Ojo  de  los  Her- 
manos. — San  Pedro  Again. — Return  through  Apache  Pass. — Meet  thirteen 
Dead  Americans.  —  Mangas  Colorado's  Deceit.  —  How  the  Americans  were 
Killed.— Apache  Cunning  and  Calculation.— Bury  the  Dead.— How  Mangas 
was  Cured  of  his  Wound.  — Death  of  Mangas  Colorado.  —  The  Genius  and 
Abilities  of  Mangas.  —  Apache  Democracy.  —  Extent  of  the  Ravages  of 
Mangas  Colorado. 

BUT  short  breathing  space  was  afforded  me  at  the  San 
Simon.  On  the  morning  of  the  third  day  after  our  ar 
rival,  and  the  trying  tests  to  which  we  had  been  sub 
jected,  I  received  orders  from  Capt.  Roberts  to  escort 
the  train  of  twenty-six  wagons  back  to  the  San  Pedro, 
in  order  to  furnish  the  required  transportation  for  the 
provision,  ammunition,  clothing  and  other  supplies  of 
the  column.  For  this  duty  I  was  assigned  fourteen  of 
my  troopers,  and  seven  men  of  Roberts'  company.  The 
intervening  country  had  been  well  examined  through 
fine  field  glasses,  and  on  two  occasions  a  thorough  re- 
connissance  had  been  made  by  the  cavalry,  which  showed 
that  a  very  excellent  passage  existed  to  the  north  of  the 
Chiricahui  range,  over  nearly  a  level  plain,  and  that  the 
distance  would  be  only  some  seven  miles  longer.  This 
route,  with  the  approbation  of  Capt.  Roberts,  was  at 
once  selected  for  our  return,  and  for  the  following  rea 
sons  :  The  safety  of  our  train  was  of  the  very  first  import 
ance,  as  upon  it  depended  the  success  of  the  unprece 
dented  march  the  "  Column  from  California"  was  then 
attempting.  In  the  next  place,  if  the  Apaches  had  given 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  169 

us  such  a  strong  and  determined  fight  when  we  mustered 
one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  men  and  two  mountain 
howitzers,  what  great  chance  would  I  have  of  safely  con 
ducting  a  train  of  twenty-six  wagons  with  only  twenty- 
one  men,  and  without  artillery,  through  such  a  terrific 
stronghold?  In  the  third  place,  nature  provided  a  pas 
sage  nearly  as  short,  much  less  laborious  for  men  and  an 
imals,  well  supplied  with  water,  wood  and  grass,  and  by 
its  open  character,  affording  the  very  best  field  for  the 
operations  of  cavalry,  and  the  widest  range  for  our 
splendid  breech-loading  weapons  of  long  reach.  It  was 
not  a  question  whether  we  should  again  fight  the  Indians, 
but  whether  we  could  forward  the  main  object  of  the 
expedition.  Indeed,  strict  orders  had  been  given  to  re 
frain  from  Indian  broils  as  much  as  possible,  to  suffer 
some  wrong  rather  than  divert  our  time  and  attention 
from  the  great  purpose  contemplated,  which  was  to  lib 
erate  Arizona  from  Confederate  rule  and  effect  a  junction 
with  Gen.  Canby  as  soon  as  possible.  Had  we  been 
exclusively  on  an  Indian  campaign,  other  means  would 
have  been  adopted. 

Having  taken  a  final  survey,  I  started  in  the  evening 
just  after  sundown,  to  prevent  the  Apaches  from  seeing 
the  dust  raised  by  the  column,  and  directed  our  course 
over  the  open  plain,  north  of  the  Chiricahui  range,  and 
between  it  and  the  mountains  from  which  it  is  divided 
some  four  miles  by  an  open  and  elevated  piece  of  clear 
land,  without  trees  or  rocks,  and  thickly  covered  with 
the  finest  grama  grass.  We  traveled  all  night  with  the 
cavalry  covering  the  front  and  rear,  and  the  seven  infan 
trymen  sleeping  in  the  empty  wagons,  with  their  weap 
ons  loaded  and  ready  at  a  moment's  warning.  Every 
little  while  the  cavalry  were  required  to  patrol  the  length 
of  the  column,  to  ward  off  any  sudden  and  unforeseen 


170  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

attack.  The  infantry  were  allowed  to  sleep,  in  order 
that  they  might  be  fresh  to  keep  guard  throughout  the 
day.  In  this  manner  we  progressed  until  five  A.  M.,  next 
day,  when  I  ordered  a  halt,  had  the  wagons  handsomely 
corralled  nearly  in  a  circle,  with  the  animals  and  men  all 
inside,  except  the  guard,  and  the  camp  properly  pre 
pared  against  surprise.  We  were  then  exactly  north  of 
the  Chiricahui  mountains,  and  south  of  another  range, 
each  being  about  two  miles  distant.  I  could  distinctly 
see  large  numbers  of  Apaches  riding  furiously  up  and 
down  the  steeps  of  those  heights,  and  sometimes  advanc 
ing  on  the  plain,  as  if  to  attack.  But  experience  had 
taught  them  that  our  carbines  and  Minnie  rifles  were 
deadly  at  nearly  a  mile  of  distance,  and  they  did  not  ap 
proach  within  their  reach.  Our  horses  were  tied  to  the 
picket  rope  which  extended  across  the  open  end  of  the 
corral,  and  covered  by  a  sufficient  guard.  Finding  that 
the  Apaches  did  not  care  to  make  an  onslaught,  the  cav 
alry  and  teamsters,  all  of  whom  were  well  armed,  re 
tired  to  rest,  after  partaking  of  a  hearty  meal.  Next 
evening,  at  dark,  we  again  hitched  up  and  pursued  our 
journey  as  before.  I  was  in  the. advance  with  Sergeant 
Loring,  when  our  horses  suddenly  jumped  one  side  and 
our  ears  were  greeted  by  the  spiteful  warning  of  a  rattle 
snake,  coiled  up  directly  in  our  path.  To  avoid  this  ma 
lignant  reptile  the  train  diverged  about  twenty  yards 
from  the  road,  and  after  a  little  while  entered  it  again. 
This  sort  of  thing  occurred  many  times  during  the  night, 
until  we  again  struck  the  regular  highway  nearly  due 
west  of  Apache  Pass.  Our  next  halt  was  made  six  miles 
from  Swell's  Station,  and  we  had  come  seventy  miles  in 
two  nights.  That  day  we  saw  no  Indians,  although  the 
same  precautions  were  adopted  as  if  we  were  surrounded 
by  large  numbers.  Our  next  march  was  to  the  Ojo  de 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  171 

los  Hermanos,  or  the  ' '  Brothers'  Springs,"  so  as  to  avoid 
stopping  to  water  at  Dragoon  Springs,  which  were  two 
miles  up  a  deep  and  dangerous  canon,  where  the  enemy 
would  possess  every  possible  advantage,  and  where  the 
animals  would  have  to  be  led  to  water  a  mile  or  more 
from  the  wagons,  with  the  delightful  prospect  of  not 
finding  anything  like  a  sufficiency. 

In  due  course  of  time,  we  regained  the  San  Pedro 
river,  where  Gen.  Carleton  had  arrived  with  a  consider 
able  body  of  troops.  I  turned  over  my  train,  and  was 
ordered  to  advance  once  more  with  head-quarters. 
Apache  Pass  was  again  entered  and  traversed;  but  it 
seemed  as  if  no  Indian  had  ever  awakened  its  echoes 
with  his  war-whoop—  as  if  it  had  ever  been  the  abode  of 
peace  and  silence.  I  rode  beside  Dr.  McNulty  for  a 
while,  and  described  to  him  the  terrible  conflict  which 
had  taken  place  there  only  eight  days  previous.  That 
true  soldier  and  soldiers'  friend  frequently  exclaimed — 
"By  George,  I  wish  I  had  been  here!"  "What  splendid 
natural  breastworks  are  these,  old  fellow!" — a  peculiar 
expression  of  his — "I  am  glad  you  came  out  of  it  all 
right!"  Next  day  we  emerged  from  the  pass  without 
molestation,  or  seeing  an  Indian  sign;  but,  instead  of 
directing  our  course  toward  the  San  Simon,  diverged  by 
another  route  toward  the  Cienega,  a  flat,  marshy  place, 
at  the  foot  of  the  next  easterly  range  of  mountains,  of 
which  Stein's  Peak  is  the  most  prominent.  The  San 
Simon  creek,  as  it  is  called,  sinks  about  a  mile  south  of 
the  station  bearing  that  name,  and  undoubtedly  fur 
nishes  the  supply  of  water  which  is  to  be  had  at  the 
Cienega,  located  on  the  same  plain,  and  about  eight 
miles  south  of  the  spot  where  the  creek  disappears. 

"We  had  progressed  about  two  miles  beyond  the  pass, 
when  we  suddenly  came  upon  the  bodies  of  thirteen 


172  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

persons,  pierced  in  many  places  with  bullet  and  arrow 
holes,  and  some  with  the  arrows  still  sticking,  driven 
deeply  into  their  frames.  After  some  examination,  the 
verdict  was  that  they  were  the  bodies  of  white  men  killed 
by  the  Apaches  but  a  short  time  before.  This  conclu 
sion  proved  correct,  as  was  afterward  ascertained  beyond 
all  doubt,  and  as  their  destruction  was  compassed  by  a 
trick  peculiarly  illustrative  of  Apache  character,  I  will 
relate  it  in  extenso. 

My  readers  will  bear  in  mind  the  place  described  as 
Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  where  the  Boundary  Commission 
remained  for  several  months,  where  Inez  G-onzales  and 
the  two  Mexican  boys  were  rescued  from  captivity,  where 
Delgadito  made  his  attack  upon  Mr.  Hay,  and  where  he 
got  handsomely  seamed  by  Wells.  The  gold  mines 
worked  by  Mr.  Hay  at  that  period,  twelve  years  prior,  had 
proved  to  be  very  rich,  and  attracted  many  bold  adven 
turers,  among  whom  were  a  number  of  celebrated  Indian 
fighters,  who  had  passed  years  upon  our  frontiers,  and 
were  universally  dreaded  by  all  the  wild  Indian  tribes  of 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  In  a  short  time  the  mining 
population  at  that  point  amounted  to  something  like  two 
hundred,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  fifty  were  well 
armed,  fearless  and  experienced  men.  The  presence  of 
such  a  party  was  far  from  pleasing  to  Mangas  Colorado 
and  his  band,  as  they  claimed  exclusive  proprietorship 
to  that  whole  region,  which  was  their  main  fastness. 
They  also  regarded  the  miners  as  the  legitimate  succes 
sors  of  the  Boundary  Commission,  with  whom  they  had. 
parted  in  deadly  enmity  after  a  short  season  of  simulated 
friendship.  Mangas  made  many  skillful  efforts  to  dis 
lodge  the  miners,  and  divert  their  attention  from  the 
Copper  Mines,  but  without  effect.  He  privately  visited 
some  of  the  more  prominent  among  them,  and  profess- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  173 

ing  the  most  disinterested  friendship,  offered  to  show 
them  where  gold  was  far  more  abundant  and  could  be 
obtained  with  less  labor,  accompanying  his  promises 
with  something  like  the  following  style  of  inducement : 

"You  good  man.  You  stay  here  long  time  and  never 
hurt  Apache.  You  want  the  'yellow  iron;'  I  know  where 
plenty  is.  Suppose  you  go  with  me,  I  show  you;  but 
tell  no  one  else.  Mangas  your  friend,  he  want  to  do  you 
good.  You  like  'yellow  iron'  —  good!  Me  no  want 
'  yellow  iron/  Him  no  good  for  me — can  no  eat,  can  no 
drink,  can  no  keepee  out  cold.  Come,  I  show  you." 

For  a  while  each  person  so  approached  kept  this  offer 
to  himself,  but  after  a  time  they  "began  to  compare  notes, 
and  found  that  Mangas  had  made  like  promises  to  each, 
under  the  ban  of  secrecy  and  the  pretense  of  exclusive 
personal  friendship.  *  Those  who  at  first  believed  the  old 
rascal,  at  once  comprehended  that  it  was  a  trap  set  to 
separate  and  sacrifice  the  bolder  and  leading  men  by 
gaining  their  confidence  and  killing  them  in  detail,  while 
their  fates  would  remain  unknown  to  those  left  behind. 
The  next  time,  after  this  eclair cissement,  that  Mangas 
visited  that  camp,  he  was  tied  to  a  tree  and  administered 
a  dose  of  "strap  oil,"  well  applied  by  lusty  arms.  His 
vengeance  was  more  keenly  aroused  by  this  deserved 
treatment,  and  from  that  time  forth  every  sort  of  annoy 
ance  was  put  into  operation  against  the  miners.  They 
were  shot  at  from  the  cover  of  trees  and  rocks,  their  cat 
tle  and  horses  were  driven  off,  their  supply  trains  robbed 
and  destroyed,  and  themselves  reduced  to  want.  But 
Mangas  desired  their  utter  extirpation.  He  wanted  their 
blood;  he  was  anxious  for  their  annihilation,  and  feeling 
himself  unable  to  cope  with  them  single  handed,  he 
dispatched  emissaries  to  Cheis,  the  most  famed  warrior 
of  the  Chiricahui  tribe,  to  come  and  help  him  oust  the 
Americans. 


174  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Just  at  that  time  news  was  received  by  Clieis  that  the 
Americans  were  advancing  from  the  west,  and  were 
about  to  overrun  Ipis  country.  "Charity  begins  at 
home/'  was  the  motto  of  that  prominent  Apache,  and, 
instead  of  going  to  the  relief  of  Mangas,  notified  him  of 
the  newly  threatened  invasion,  and  asked  his  assistance, 
promising  to  help  Mangas,  in  his  turn.  The  proffer  was 
accepted,  and  Mangas  joined  Cheis  at  the  Apache  Pass 
with  two  hundred  warriors,  which  accounts  for  the 
large  force  against  which  Koberts  had  to  contend  in  that 
formidable  gorge. 

While  these  united  forces  were  occupying  Apache 
Pass,  waiting  our  arrival,  they  descried  a  small  band  of 
Americans  approaching  from  the  east,  across  the  wide 
plain  intervening  between  that  place  and  the  Cienega, 
and  determined  to  cut  it  off.  Those  wily  Indians  soon 
recognized  in  the  new-comers  a  small,  but  well  armed, 
party  of  the  hardy  and  experienced  miners  from  the 
Santa  Rita  del  Cobre,  and  knew  that  such  men  were  al 
ways  on  their  guard  and  prepared  to  defend  their  lives 
with  the  greatest  courage  and  determination.  They  also 
knew  that  they  would  be  specially  on  the  qui  vive  after 
having  entered  the  pass,  and  that  any  attack  upon  them 
would  probably  result  in  the  loss  of  several  of  their  war 
riors.  How  to  compass  their  ends  and  obviate  this  last 
possibility,  became  the  chief  objects  of  their  attention. 
Two  miles  east  of  the  pass,  right  in  the  clear  and  unob 
structed  plain,  there  is  a  gully,  formed  by  the  washing 
of  heavy  rains  through  a  porous  and  yielding  soil.  This 
gully  is  from  six  to  eight  feet  deep,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
long,  three  or  four  yards  wide,  and  cannot  be  seen  from 
horseback  until  the  rider  is  within  fifty  yards  of  the  spot. 
"With  consummate  cunning  a  large  body  of  the  Apaches 
ensconced  themselves  in  this  gully,  knowing  that  the 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  175 

travelers  would  be  somewhat  off  their  guard  in  an  open 
plain,  apparently  without  place  of  concealment,  and 
awaited  the  approach  of  their  victims.  The  scheme 
proved  eminently  successful.  Wholly  unapprehensive 
of  a  danger  they  could  not  see  and  had  no  reason  to  sus 
pect,  "the  hardy  miners  rode  forward  with  their  rifles 
resting  in  the  slings  across  their  saddle  bows,  their  pis 
tols  in  scabbards,  and  their  whole  attention  absorbed  in 
the  pass  they  were  about  to  enter.  "When  they  had  ar 
rived  within  forty  yards  of  the  gully  or  ditch,  a  terrific 
and  simultaneous  fire  was  opened  upon  them  by  the  con 
cealed  Indians,  which  killed  one-half  their  number  out 
right,  and  sent  the  remainder  wounded  and  panic 
stricken  to  seek  safety  in  flight.  They  were  immediately 
pursued  and  massacred  to  a  man.  Theirs  were  the 
bodies  discovered  by  us  soon  after  emerging  from  Apache 
Pass,  and  although  we  grieved  over  their  death,  as  brave 
men  grieve  for  each  other,  the  circumstance  taught  us 
another  and  most  instructive  lesson  in  Apache  character, 
and  the  wondrously  shrewd  calculations  made  by  those 
people  when  determined  to  effect  a  desired  object. 

I  subsequently  learned  that  the  victims  had  with  them 
a  considerable  sum  in  gold  dust,  nearly  fifty  thousand 
dollars'  worth,  all  of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of  their 
slayers,  who  had  become  well  acquainted  with  its  value. 
Their  bodies  were  as  decently  interred  as  circumstances 
would  permit,  after  which  we  moved  forward  toward  the 
Cienega,  in  mournful  and  somewhat  vindictive  mood. 

Mangas  Colorado  returned  with  his  diminished  band 
to  the  Pino  Alto  country  after  his  disastrous  defeat  in 
Apache  Pass,  but  he  returned  with  a  carbine  ball  in  his 
chest,  fired  by  John  Teal,  whose  gallant  conduct  has  al 
ready  been  described.  It  was  owing  to  this  chance  shot 
that  the  Apaches  abandoned  their  attack  upon  Teal,  in 


176  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

order  to  give  succor  to  so  prominent  a  man  as  Mangas. 
He  was  carefully  conveyed  to  Janos,  in  Chihuahua,  where 
he  received  the  enforced  attendance  and  aid  of  a  Mexican 
physician,  who  happened  to  be  in  that  place  at  the  time. 
It  was  a  case  of  the  practice  of  surgery  under  unique 
circumstances.  If  the  patient  survived,  well  and  good; 
he  would  return  to  his  native  wilds  to  again  renew  his 
fearful  devastations;  but  if  he  died,  the  doctor  and  all 
the  inhabitants  were  assured  they  should  visit  the  spirit 
land  with  him.  The  ball  was  extracted,  Mangas  recov 
ered,  an'd  the  people  were  saved;  but  his  was  a  short 
lease  of  life,  for  he  was  soon  afterward  captured  by  Capt. 
E.  D.  Shirland,  of  the  First  California  Volunteer  Cav 
alry,  and  killed  while  attempting  to  effect  his  escape 
from  the  guard  house.  In  this  manner  perished  Mangas 
Colorado,  the  greatest  and  most  talented  Apache  Indian 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  truth,  he  was  a  wonder 
ful  man.  His  sagacious  counsels  partook  more  of  the 
character  of  wide  and  enlarged  statesmanship  than  those 
of  any  other  Indian  of  modern  times.  His  subtle  and 
comprehensive  intellect  enrolled  and  united  the  three 
principal  tribes  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  in  one  com 
mon  cause.  He  found  means  to  collect  and  keep  to 
gether,  for  weeks  at  a  time,  large  bodies  of  savages,  such 
as  none  of,  his  predecessors  could  assemble  and  feed. 
He  quieted  and  allayed  all  jealousies  and  disagreements 
between  different  branches  of  the  great  Apache  family, 
and  taught  them  to  comprehend  the  value  of  unity  and 
collective  strength.  Although  never  remarkable  for  per 
sonal  prowess  and  courage,  he  knew  how  to  evoke  those 
qualities  in  others,  and  appropriate  the  credit  to  himself. 
Crafty  and  skilled  in  human  nature,  he  laid  plans  and 
devised  schemes  remarkable  for  their  shrewdness  of  con 
ception  and  success  in  execution.  In  council  he  was  the 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  177 

last  to  speak,  in  action  lie  was  the  last  to  come  on  the 
field,  and  the  first  to  leave  if  defeated;  yet  he  had  the 
reputation  among  all  his  people  of  being  the  wisest  and 
bravest.  That  he  was  the  wisest  has  never  been  denied; 
that  he  was  the  bravest  has  never  been  proved.  But, 
take  him  for  all  in  all,  he  exercised  an  influence  never 
equaled  by  any  savage  of  our  time,  when  we  take  into 
consideration  the  fact  that  the  Apaches  acknowledge  no 
chiefs,  and  obey  no  orders  from  any  source.  They  con 
stitute  a  pure  democracy,  in  which  every  man  is  the 
equal  of  every  other.  Each  is  sovereign  inliis  own  right 
as  a  warrior,  and  disclaims  all  allegiance.  But  this  sub 
ject  will  be  treated  at  length  in  another  portion  of  this 
work. 

The  life  of  Mangas  Colorado,  if  it  could  be  ascertained, 
would  be  a  tissue  of  the  most  extensive  and  afflicting 
revelationSj  the  most  atrocious  cruelties,  the  most  vin 
dictive  revenges,  and  widespread  injuries  ever  perpetra 
ted  by  an  American  Indian.  "We  read  with  sensations 
of  horror  the  dreadful  massacre  at  Schenectady,  the 
bloody  deeds  at  Wyoming,  the  cruelties  of  Proctor's 
savage  allies,  and  others  of  like  character;  but  they  sink 
into  absolute  insignificance  beside  the  acts  of  Mangas 
Colorado,  running  through  a  series  of  fifty  years,  for 
Mangas  was  fully  seventy  when  sent  to  his  last  account. 
The  northern  portions  of  Chihuahua  and  Sonora,  large 
tracts  of  Durango,  the  whole  of  Arizona,  and  a  very  con 
siderable  part  of  New  Mexico,  were  laid  waste,  ravished, 
destroyed  by  this  man  and  his  followers.  A  strip  of 
country  twice  as  large  as  all  California  was  rendered  al 
most  houseless,  unproductive,  uninhabitable  by  his  active 
and  uncompromising  hostility.  Large  and  flourishing 
towns  were  depopulated  and  ruined.  Vast  ranches,  such 
as  that  of  Barbacomori  and  San  Bernardino,  once  teem- 


178  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

ing  with  wealth  and  immense  herds  of  cattle,  horses  and 
mules,  were  turned  into  waste  places,  and  restored  to 
their  pristine  solitudes.  The  name  of  Mangas  Colorado 
was  the  tocsin  of  terror  and  dismay  throughout  a  vast 
region  of  country,  whose  inhabitants  existed  by  his  suf 
ferance  under  penalty  of  supplying  him  with  the  requisite 
arms  and  ammunition  for  his  many  and  terrible  raids. 
He  combined  many  attributes  of  real  greatness  with  the 
ferocity  and  brutality  of  the  most  savage  savage.  The 
names  of  his  victims,  by  actual  slaughter  or  by  captivity, 
would  fill  a  volume,  and  the  relation  of  his  deeds  through 
out  a  long  and  merciless  life  would  put  to  shame  the 
records  of  the  "Newgate  Calendar."  I  dismiss  him 
with  disgust  and  loathing,  not  unmingled  with  some 
degree  of  respect  for  his  abilities. 


CHAPTER    XY. 


Apache  Signals.— Mode  of  Marching  through  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.— Apache 
Watchfulness  and  Caution.— The  Gila  Country.— Grama  Grass.— The  In. 
formation  Indispensable  for  a  Successful  Campaign  against  Apaches. — 
The  Smoke  Columns.— Pressed  Grass.— Bent  and  Broken  Twigs.— Blazed 
Trees.— Mounted  Parties.— The  Stone  Signals.— Kit  Carson.— Comparison 
between  White  Men's  and  Apache  Philosophy. — The  Present  Condition  of 
Apache  Armament.— Their  Knowledge  of  Colors,  and  the  Use  they  make 
of  It.— Their  Hatred  of  all  Other  Races.— Proofs  of  their  Good  Breeding.— 
Our  Indian  Policy  Discussed. — Apache  Want  of  Sympathy. —  How  they 
Obtain  their  Guns  and  Ammunition. — Extent  of  their  Ravages  in  North 
ern  Mexico. — Monuments  of  Apache  Massacres  in  Arizona. — Mines  of 
Arizona. 


THE  experiences  of  several  years  liad  not  been  ignored. 
The  time  which  had  elapsed  between  my  first  and  second 
appearance  upon  the  stage  of  Indian  action  had  given 
me  opportunity  to  reflect  upon  many  events,  and  study 
their  causes,  characters,  and  mechanism  of  production. 
Keposing  in  the  midst  of  civilized  security,  and  alto 
gether  freed  from  the  excitement  of  unseen,  deadly  perils 
to  which  life  m  the  Apache  countries  is  invariably  sub 
ject,  I  was  enabled  to  draw  more  correct  conclusions 
than  could  have  been  arrived  at  on  the  ground,  while 
compelled  to  regard  personal  safety  as  the  first  necessity. 
In  this  calm  and  undisturbed  survey  of  the  field  many 
circumstances  were  accounted  for  which  at  the  time  ap 
peared  more  the  result  of  untoward  accident  than  of 
well  laid  schemes  founded  upon  a  shrewd  knowledge  of 
natural  instincts.  The  pyramidal  columns  of  smoke,  so 
often  seen  to  ascend  from  mountain  heights,  had  ap 
peared  to  me  as  merely  warnings  of  our  presence  in  the 


180  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

country;  the  apparently  casual  turning  over  of  a  stone, 
close  to  the  highway,  never  attracted  attention;  the 
breaking  of  a  few  insignificant  branches  in  a  forest 
did  not  seem  to  be  more  than  accidental  occurrences; 
bat  closer  investigation  led  me  to  believe  that  all  these 
things,  and  many  more,  had  their  peculiar  significance; 
that  they  were  neither  more  nor  less  than  lithographic 
notices  by  which  one  party  could  know  the  force  of  an 
other — the  direction  taken — the  extent  and  nature  of  the 
danger  which  threatened,  and  impart  the  summons  for 
a  gathering.  That  these  surmises  were  correct  every  old 
Indian  fighter  knows;  but  the  responsibilities  of  my  po 
sition  determined  me  to  make  a  study  of  points  so  essen 
tial  to  a  successful  campaign,  and  the  safety  of  my  com 
mand.  Nevertheless,  it  will  be  found  that  a  party,  even 
though  it  be  a  small  one,  which  is  well  armed;  which 
never  relaxes  its  vigilance ;  which  selects  clear,  open 
ground  for  camping;  which  invariably  throws  out  an  ad 
vanced  guard,  and  keeps  its  weapons  always  ready  for 
use  at  a  moment's  warning,  can  move  with  safety  through 
all  portions  of  Arizona  and  New  Mexico;  while  ten  times 
their  number,  disregarding  these  precautions,  are  sure 
to  be  attacked,  and  if  attacked  about  as  certain  to  be 
defeated  with  loss.  Let  it  be  again  distinctly  impressed 
upon  my  readers,  that  the  Apache  never  attacks  unless 
fully  convinced  of  an  easy  victory.  They  will  watch  for 
days,  scanning  your  every  movement,  observing  your 
every  act;  taking  exact  note  of  your  party  and  all  its 
belongings.  Let  no  one  suppose  that  these  assaults  are 
made  upon  the  spur  of  the  moment  by  bands  accidentally 
encountered.  Far  from  it;  they  are  almost  invariably 
the  results  of  long  watching — patient  waiting — careful 
and  rigorous  observation,  and  anxious  counsel. 

Throughout  nearly  the  whole  of  Arizona  the  traveler 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  181 

encounters  a  succession  of  high  mountain  ridges,  run 
ning  northwest  and  southeast,  overlooking  intermediate, 
unwooded  and  unconcealed  plains,  which  are  from  fif 
teen  to  forty  miles  from  ridge  to  ridge.  The  sierras  are 
not  continuous  or  united,  but  occur  in  isolated  ranges  of 
from  twenty  to  fifty  miles  in  extent,  with  smooth  and 
clear  prairie  lands  between  them.  These  intervals  ex 
tend  from  one  to  five  miles;  but  as  they  afford  neither 
wood  nor  water,  are  never  traveled  except  by  very  small 
parties,  which  can  move  quickly  and  are  too  weak  to  risk 
the  dangerous  mountain  passes  and  canons.  But  even 
this  cannot  be  effected  in  some  places  without  making  a 
detour  of  many  miles  from  the  direct  road,  and  it  is  often 
indispensable  to  run  all  risks  rather  than  lose  time,  or 
suffer  the  inconveniences  of  such  a  round-about  and 
wretchedly  provided  march,  where  one  is  likely  to  perish 
from  the  want  of  w^ater. 

The  land  along  the  Gila  is  excessively  alkaline  and  un 
productive  in  its  present  condition,  although  in  many 
places  the  willow,  cotton-wood  and  mesquit  flourish  lux 
uriantly.  In  wet  weather  the  soil  becomes  a  soft,  deep 
and  tenacious  muck,  which  almost  wholly  impedes  wagon 
travel,  and  during  the  dry  season  the  roads  are  so  deeply 
covered  with  a  fine,  almost  impassable  and  light  dust, 
that  every  footfall  throws  up  clouds  of  it  yards  above  the 
traveler's  head,  completely  shutting  out  from  sight  all 
objects  more  than  three  yards  distant.  To  such  an  ex 
tent  does  this  prevail  in  some  localities,  that  I  have  been 
unable  to  distinguish  the  man  or  his  horse  at  my  side, 
and  within  reach  of  my  arm,  on  a  fine  moonlight  night. 

In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Tucson,  on  the  ta 
ble  land  outside  of  its  cultivated  fields,  the  traveler,  for 
the  first  time,  meets  with  the  far-famed  grama  grass,  but 
on  descending  from  this  mesa  does  not  again  come  in 
9 


182  LIFE  AMONG   THE  APACHES. 

contact  with  it  until  he  reaches  Dragoon  Springs.  This 
grama  grass  is  beyond  all  comparison  the  most  nutricious 
herbage  ever  cropped  by  quadrupeds.  It  is  much  heav 
ier,  contains  more  saccharine  in  connection  with  more 
farinaceous  and  strength-giving  aliment  than  any  other 
grass  known.  At  least  such  is  my  experience,  and  that 
of  all  other  men  who  have  had  occasion  to  test  its  virtues 
and  time  to  pronounce  upon  its  merits.  I  .give  it  the 
very  first  rank  among  all  sorts  of  hay,  believing  it  to 
be  superior  to  clover,  timothy,  alfalfa,  or  all  three  to 
gether.  Although  I  have  never  been  able  to  observe  any 
seed  upon  this  grass,  it  seems  to  combine  the  qualities 
of  grain  and  hay  in  the  greatest  perfection.  Horses  will 
live  and  do  well  upon  it,  provided  they  can  obtain  it 
regularly,  while  doing  active  cavalry  duty,  without  other 
feed;  but  they  must  have  it,  as  stated,  regularly  in 
abundance,  and  be  permitted  to  crop  it  from  native  pas 
tures.  It  bears  no  flower,  exhibits  no  seed,  but  seems  to 
reproduce  itself  from  the  roots  by  the  shooting  up  of 
young,  green  and  vigorous  spires,  which  are  at  first  in 
closed  within  the  sheaths  of  their  old  and  dried-up  pre 
decessors,  and  by  their  growth  split  and  cast  them  to 
earth,  and  occupy  their  places. 

I  am  not  sufficiently  versed  in  botany  to  give  my  read 
ers  a  more  elaborate  and  scientific  account  of  this  superb 
grass,  and  if  I  were,  it  would  not  be  my  desire  in  a  work 
of  this  character  to  inflict  upon  the  general  reader  a  se 
ries  of  double-barreled  Greek  terms  which  not  one  in  a 
thousand  could  understand,  and,  understanding,  would 
care  about.  The  object  is  to  convey  some  tolerable  idea 
of  that  great  aliment  for  herbivorous  animals  upon  which 
the  Apache  races  rely  for  the  support  of  their  horses, 
and  which,  by  its  singularly  strength-giving  properties, 
is  capable  of  enabling  their  ponies  to  perform  extraordi 
nary  feats  of  endurance. 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  183 

From  Dragoon  Pass  eastward  the  whole  of  the  vast 
region  inhabited  by  the  Apaches  is  covered  with  this 
species  of  grass,  which  is  more  or  less  thick  and  nourish 
ing,  according  to  circumstances,  but  always  in  sufficient 
abundance  to  afford  all  the  nutriment  required.  It  is 
this  plentiful  distribution  of  the  most  strengthening 
grass  in  the  world  which  enables  the  Apache  to  maintain 
his  herds,  make  his  extraordinary  marches,  and  inflict 
wide-spread  depredations. 

A  knowledge  of  signals,  whether  smokes  or  fires,  or 
bent  twigs  and  pressed  grass,  or  of  turned  stones,  to 
gether  with  the  localities  of  water  sources,  the  different 
passes  through  the  sierras,  the  nature  and  quantity  of 
the  fodder  to  be  had  in  certain  districts,  the  capacity  to 
distinguish  tracks  and  state  with  certainty  by  whom 
made,  and  how  long  before,  are  absolutely  indispensable 
to  a  successful  campaign  among  those  savages.  To  the 
acquirement  of  all  these  points  I  devoted  much  atten 
tion,  and,  without  egotism,  can  claim  such  success  as  to 
privilege  me  in  giving  the  result  of  my  researches  as 
worthy  of  confidence. 

Smokes  are  of  various  kinds,  each  one  significant  of  a 
particular  object.  A  sudden  puff,  rising  into  a  graceful 
column  from  the  mountain  heights,  and  almost  as  sud 
denly  losing  its  identity  by  dissolving  into  the  rarified 
atmosphere  of  those  heights,  simply  indicates  the  pres 
ence  of  a  strange  party  upon  the  plains  below;  but  if 
those  columns  are  rapidly  multiplied  and  repeated,  they 
serve  as  a  warning  to  show  that  the  travelers  are  well 
armed  and  numerous.  If  a  steady  smoke  is.  maintained 
for  some  time,  the  object  is  to  collect  the  scattered  bands 
of  savages  at  some  designated  point,  with  hostile  inten 
tion,  should  it  be  practicable.  These  signals  are  made 
at  night,  in  the  same  order,  by  the  use  of  fires,  which 


184  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

being  kindled,  are  either  alternately  exposed  and 
shrouded  from  view,  or  suffered  to  burn  steadily,  as  oc 
casion  may  require.  All  travelers  in  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico  are  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  if  the  grass  be 
pressed  down  in  a  certain  direction  during  the  dry  sea 
son,  it  will  retain  the  impress  and  grow  daily  more  and 
more  yellow  until  the  rainy  season  imparts  new  life  and 
restores  it  to  pristine  vigor  and  greenness.  The  Apaches 
are  so  well  versed  in  this  style  of  signalizing  that  they 
can  tell  you,  by  the  appearance  of  the  grass,  how  many 
days  have  elapsed  since  it  was  trodden  upon,  whether 
the  party  consisted  of  Indians  or  whites,  about  how  many 
there  were,  and,  if  Indians,  to  what  particular  tribe  they 
belonged.  In  order  to  define  these  points,  they  select 
some  well  marked  footstep,  for  which  they  hunt  with 
avidity,  and  gently  pressing  down  the  trodden  grass  so 
as  not  to  disturb  surrounding  herbage,  they  very  care 
fully  examine  the  print.  The  difference  between  the 
crushing  heel  of  a  white  man's  boot  or  shoe,  and  the 
light  imprint  left  by  an  Indian's  moccasin,  is  too  strik 
ing  to  admit  of  doubt,  while  the  different  styles  of  moc 
casin  used  by  the  several  divisions  of  the  Apache  tribes 
are  well  known  among  them.  The  time  which  has 
elapsed  since  the  passage  of  the  party  is  determined  by 
discoloration  of  the  herbage  and  breaking  off  a  few  spires 
to  ascertain  the  approximate  amount  of  natural  juice  still 
left  in  the  crushed  grass.  Numbers  are  arrived  at  by 
the  multiplicity  of  tracks.  Signalizing  by  bent  twigs, 
broken  branches  and  blazed  trees,  is  too  well  known  to 
deserve  special  mention  here.  In  these  respects  the 
Apaches  do  not  differ  from  other  Indian  tribes  of  this 
continent. 

If  a  mounted  party  has  been  on  the  road,  their  num 
bers,  quality  and  time  of  passage  are  determined  with 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  185 

exactitude,  as  well  as  the  precise  sex  and  species  of  the 
animals  ridden.  The  moment  such  a  trail  is  fallen  in 
with,  they  follow  it  eagerly,  having  nothing  else  to  do, 
until  they  find  some  of  the  dung,  which  is  immediately 
broken  open,  and  from  its  moisture  and  other  properties, 
the  date  of  travel  is  arrived  at  nearly  to  a  certainty, 
while  the  constituents  almost  invariably  declare  the  re 
gion  from  which  the  party  came.  This  last  point  de 
pends  upon  whether  the  dung  is  composed  of  grama 
grass,  barley  and  grass,  corn,  bunch  grass,  buffalo  grass, 
sacaton,  or  any  of  the  well  known  grasses  of  the  coun 
try,  for  as  they  are  chiefly  produced  in  different  districts, 
the  fact  of  their  presence  in  the  dung  shows  precisely 
from  what  district  the  animal  last  came.  When  barley 
is  discovered  the  Apaches  have  reason  to  believe  that 
Americans  have  been  over  the  route,  and  when  maize  is 
found  they  feel  confident  that  the  travelers  were  either 
Mexicans  or  people  from  that  country.  These  remarks 
apply  only  to  unshod  horses,  for  iron  prints  speak  for 
themselves.  The  difference  in  sexes  is  easily  told  by  the 
attitude  each  assumes  while  urinating — the  male  stretch 
ing  himself  and  ejecting  his  urine  forward  of  his  hind 
feet,  while  the  female  ejects  to  the  rear  of  the  hind  prints. 
Signalizing  by  stones  is  much  more  difficult  to  com 
prehend,  and  very  few  have  ever  arrived  at  even  a  dis 
tant  knowledge  of  this  art.  Perhaps  the  most  skillful 
detecter  of  such  notices  was  "Kit  Carson,"  as  he  was 
generally  termed,  and  it  would  be  very  strange  if  he 
were  not.  No  man  in  the  United  States  has  had  greater 
experience,  and  no  man  possessed  a  keener  natural  in 
stinct  to  detect  Indian  signs.  I  must  confess  my  ina 
bility  to  do  this  part  of  the  subject  full  justice,  but  will 
give  the  result  of  my  observations.  The  traveler  is  often 
surprised  to  notice  a  number  of  stones  on  one  side  the 


186  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

road,  lying  apparently  without  any  set  arrangement, 
when  he  can  observe  no  others  within  reach  of  his  eye. 
A  careful  observation  will  convince  him  that  they  never 
grew  in  that  region,  but  were  brought  from  some  consid 
erable  distance.  This  translation  was  certainly  neither 
the  work  of  Americans  nor  Mexicans,  but  of  Indians, 
and  evidently  for  some  fixed  purpose.  A  closer  exam 
ination  will  show  that  these  stones  are  regularly  ar 
ranged,  and  that  the  majority  point  to  some  special 
point  of  the  compass,  while  the  number  of  those  who 
planted  them  is  designated  by  some  concerted  placement 
of  each  stone.  For  instance,  no  one  need  be  told  that  in 
wild  countries  like  Arizona,  where  deluges  of  rain  pour 
down  during  the  rainy  season,  the  heaviest  side  of  a  stone 
will,  in  course  of  time,  find  itself  underneath,  and  when 
this  order  is  reversed,  especially  under  the  circumstances 
above  cited,  there  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  has 
been  purposely  done.  This  belief  becomes  certainty  on 
seeing  that  each  one  of  the  group,  or  parcel,  is  precisely 
the  same  way.  Besides,  a  stone  which  has  been  long 
lying  on  one  particular  side,  soon  contracts  a  quantity 
of  clay  or  soil  on  its  nether  surface,  while  its  upper  one 
has  been  washed  clean.  If  it  be  turned  over,  or  partly 
over,  the  difference  becomes  easily  discoverable.  If  one 
stone  be  placed  on  end  so  as  to  rest  against  another,  it 
means  that  the  party  so  placing  it  require  aid  and  assist 
ance.  If  turned  completely  over^it  indicates  disaster 
during  some  raid;  and  if  only  partly  turned,  that  the  ex 
pedition  has  been  a  failure.  Success  is  noted  by  the 
stones  being  left  in  a  natural  position,  heaviest  side  down, 
but  so  arranged  as  to  be  nearly  in  line.  I  am  not  suffi 
ciently  expert  in  this  style  of  signalizing  to  give  any 
further  explanations,  and  I  doubt  if  any  one  but  "Kit 
Carson  "  was  capable  of  fully  decyphering  this  kind  of 
Apache  warnings. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APAOHES.  187 

These  remarks  have  seemed  necessary  to  the  full  de 
velopment  of  the  Apache  character,  as  they,  in  some 
sort,  serve  to  account  for  the  clear  and  explicit  under 
standing  which  undoubtedly  exists  among  the  many  de 
tached  fragments  of  that  race.  Without  some  such  codes 
of  signals,  they  would  be  comparatively  incapable  of  the 
terrible  devastations  and  outrages  they  have  perpetrated. 
Neither  could  they  collect  their  scattered  bands  for  any 
occasion  requiring  numbers  without  great  loss  of  time 
and  trouble.  Having  no  reliable  means  for  subsistence 
beyond  what  they  obtain  by  marauding  excursions,  they 
are  wholly  incapable  of  maintaining  any  considerable 
number  for  more  than  a  few  days  at  a  time,  and  they, 
therefore,  depend  upon  their  signals  as  the  means  of 
warning  each  other,  and  consolidating  whenever  the 
"game  is  worth  the  candle."  The  Apaches  brought 
their  system  to  wonderful  perfection,  and  from  this  arises 
their  capacity  to  act  conjointly  with  celerity,  vigor  and 
effect,  although  the  operating  bodies  may  not  actually 
meet  until  just  before  the  time  for  action  arrives.  It  is 
to  this  system  that  the  Apache  bands  of  fives,  tens  and 
twenties,  separated  from  each  other  by  twenty,  thirty 
and  forty  miles,  feel  that  they  are  operating  always  in 
concert,  and  manage  to  maintain  a  rigid  police  espion 
age  over  the  vast  region  they  inhabit. 

"When  will  the  white  man  ever  become  wise,  and,  in 
stead  of  treating  the  Indian  with  scornful  indifference, 
give  him  credit  for  his  intelligence,  his  quick  and  remark 
able  instincts,  his  powers  of  reflection  and  organization, 
and  his  inveterate  opposition  to  all  innovation?  We 
have  been  too  much  in  the  habit  of  treating  them  with 
contempt,  and  underrating  our  savage  enemies.  This 
has  been  a  serious  blunder,  the  rock  upon  which  so 
many  millions  of  money  and  so  many  precious  lives  have 


188  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

been  wrecked.  Is  it  not  time  to  accept  a  new  policy  in 
their  regard  ?  Will  civilized  people  never  learn  that  they 
are  quite  as  obtuse  to  comprehend  real  Indian  nature  as 
the  Indians  to  understand  their  civilization?  Can  they 
not  see  that  their  hauteur,  self-sufficiency  and  overbear 
ing  conceit,  are  quite  as  reprehensible  as  the  Indian's  ig 
norance,  distrust  and  superstition?  The  savage  is  par 
donable  in  his  mental  darkness,  but  the  white  man  is 
inexcusable  in  his  light.  Semi-idiotic  people  believe 
that  the  Apache  of  to-day  is  like  his  ancestor  of  half  a 
century  ago;  that  he  fights  with  bow  and  stone-headed 
arrows;  that  he  has  learned  nothing  from  experience; 
that  he  is  a  biped  brute  who  is  as  easily  killed  as  a  wolf; 
that  he  possesses  no  power  of  organization,  combination, 
judgment,  skill,  strategy  or  reflection;  but  the  truth  is, 
that  he  possesses  them  all  in  an  eminent  degree.  When 
the  popular  mind  shall  have  been  disabused  of  such 
heresy,  it  will  have'  accomplished  the  first  step  'toward 
that  long-wanted  result,  the  domination  and  consequent 
pacification  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  North  American 
continent. 

Let  it  be  well  understood  that  the  Apache  of  to-day  is 
armed  with  the  best  kind  of  rifle,  with  Colt's  six-shooters 
and  with  knives,  and  that,  in  addition  to  these,  he  is 
never  without  his  silent,  death-dealing  bow  and  quiver 
full  of  iron-headed  arrows.  While  adopting  our  im 
proved  weapons,  whenever  occasion  offers,  they  never 
abandon  those  of  their  sires.  The  reasons  for  this  are 
fourfold :  First,  the  bow  and  arrow  in  the  hands  of  skill 
ful  warriors  proves  very  deadly;  it  makes  no  noise,  and 
for  night  attacks  or  the  taking  off  of  sentinels,  is  far  su 
perior  to  the  gun.  Secondly,  it  is  the  best  weapon  that 
can  be  used  in  the  chase,  or,  more  properly,  on  the 
hunt,  as  half  a  dozen  animals  may  be  slain  in  a  herd  be- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  189 

fore  their  comrades  are  made  aware  of  the  fact.  Thirdly, 
they  are  so  light  that  they  can  be  worn  without  the 
slightest  sense  of  encumbrance.  Fourthly,  they  can  al 
ways  be  relied  on,  at  close  quarters,  when  other  weapons 
fail,  or  ammunition,  of  which  they  possess  limited  sup 
plies,  gives  out.  It  is,  therefore,  not  strange  that  the 
Apache  will  invariably  add  his  bow  and  arrows  to  his 
personal  armament,  although  he  may  be  the  owner  of  a 
Spencer  rifle  and  a  couple  of  Colt's  revolvers,  with  am 
munition  to  suit.  Whenever  they  design  entering  one 
of  our  military  camps  they  invariably  conceal,  at  some 
distance,  firearms;  so  that  they  may  appear  innocent  of 
designed  enmity  or  their  possession,  but  should  occasion 
serve,  they  quickly  manage  to  re-possess  themselves  of 
all  their  weapons. 

Let  it  also  be  understood  that  the  Apache  has  as  per 
fect  a  knowledge  of  the. assimilation  of  colors  as  the  most 
experienced  Paris  modiste.  By  means  of  his  acumen  in 
this  respect,  he  can  conceal  his  swart  body  amidst  the 
green  grass,  behind  brown  shrubs,  or  gray  rocks,  with 
so  much  address  and  judgment  that  any  but  the  experi 
enced  would  pass  him  by  without  detection  at  the  dis 
tance  of  three  or  four  yards.  Sometimes  they  will  en 
velop  themselves  in  a  gray  blanket,  and  by  an  artistic 
sprinkling  of  earth,  will  so  resemble  a  granite  boulder  as 
to  be  passed  within  near  range  without  suspicion.  At 
others,  they  will  cover  their  persons  with  freshly  gath 
ered  grass,  and  lying  prostrate,  appear  as  a  natural  por 
tion  of  the  field.  Again,  they  will  plant  themselves 
among  the  yuccas,  and  so  closely  imitate  the  appearance 
of  that  tree  as  to  pass  for  one  of  its  species.  These  ex 
act  imitations  of  natural  objects  which  are  continually 
present  to  the  traveler,  tend  to  disarm  suspicion;  yet,  I 
would  not  advise  the  wayfarer  to  examine  each  suspected 


190  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

bush,  tree  or  rock,  but  simply  to  maintain  a  cautious 
system  of  marching — never,  for  a  moment,  relaxing  his 
watchfulness,  and  invariably  keeping  his  weapons  ready 
for  immediate  use.  Whenever  these  precautions  are  ob 
served,  the  Apache  is  slow  to  attack,  even  at  monstrous 
odds  in  his  favor. 

The  selfishness  inherent  in  the  human  race  crops  out 
with  intensity  among  these  Indians;  yet  their  hatred  and 
animosity  toward  all  other  races  is  even  stronger,  and  is 
the  matrix  of  the  cohesive  principle  by  which  they  have 
been  kept  together,  and  which  has  proved  their  safe 
guard  against  all  outside  corrupting  influences.  Under 
no  circumstances  will  one  Apache  risk  anything  for  an 
other,  unless  it  is  manifestly  to  his  interest.  The  most 
refined  civilization  could  not  advance  him  in  this  respect. 
He  appreciates  self  just  as  well  as  those  who  have  been 
the  habitues  of  "Wall  street,  the  Stock  Exchange,  or  the 
Parisian  Boulevards.  If  the  height  of  good  breeding 
consists  in  being  perfectly  impassive,  and  disregardful 
of  the  events  which  attend  on  fellow  men,  then  the 
Apache  has  arrived  at  the  apex  of  good  breeding,  and 
lordlings  may  take  lessons  from  his  school  of  manners. 
Their  great  natural  intelligence  makes  them  comprehend 
that  "in  union  is  strength,"  and  their  desire  to  exhibit 
that  strength  is  ever  prevalent.  They  delight  to  mani 
fest  their  numerical  power,  for  the  reason  that  oppor 
tunities  for  such  exhibition  are  very  rare,  and  whatever 
is  of  common  occurrence  ceases  to  interest;  and  also 
because  such  combinations  tend  to  inflict  additional 
dread  upon  their  enemies,  and  the  inculcation  of  this 
sentiment  is  a  chief  cause  of  security  to  each  Apache. 

In  all  our  dealings  with  Indian  tribes  we  have  quite 
underrated  their  abilities,  and  in  this  we  have  demon 
strated  our  own  stupidity.  The  vanity  and  self-conceit 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  191 

of  civilized  and  educated  men  are  never  more  stilted 
than  when  brought  in  contact  with  savage  races.  Such 
persons  are  prone  to  address  the  Indian  with  a  smirk  or 
patronizing  air  which  is  very  offensive,  and  would  never 
be  used  toward  an  equal.  No  allowance  is  made  for  the 
fact  that  the  proud  savage  does  consider  himself  not 
only  the  equal,  but  the  superior  of  his  white  brother. 
It  seems  never  to  have  been  understood  that  consider 
able  deference  should  be  paid  to  his  very  ignorance,  be 
cause  that  ignorance  is  his  sufficient  excuse  for  crediting 
himself  with  superior  intelligence.  The  conceit  of  the 
educated  white  man  is  fully  equaled  by  that  of  the 
savage,  and  the  lower  he  is  in  the  scale  of  mental  ability 
the  greater  will  be  his  pretension  to  superiority.  The 
fact  that  a  wise  man  knows  himself  to  be  ignorant,  while 
an  ignorant  man  believes  himself  to  be  wise,  is  fully 
exemplified  in  our  intercourse  with  the  Apaches,  but  it 
is  a  question  in  my  mind  whether  the  Apaches  have  not 
had  the  best  end  of  the  argument,  when  the  character 
and  acts  of  their  agents,  and. others,  who  have  been  ap 
pointed  to  treat  with  them,  are  known  and  considered. 
To  arrive  at  a  successful  arrangement  with  these  In 
dians  they  must  be  approached  in  the  first  place  as  equals. 
This  will  flatter  their  inordinate  vanity,  and  minister  to 
their  excessive  selfishness.  After  a  few  interviews  for 
the  purpose  of  establishing  amicable  understanding,  the 
agent,  or  treating  party,  or  traveler,  should  carefully  in 
troduce  some  cheap  natural  effects,  the  employment  of 
which  would  be  ridiculed  in  ordinary  civilized  life,  but 
present  astounding  revelations  to  the  wild  Indian.  The 
use  of  a  double  convexed  lens,  as  a  magnifier,  or  as  a 
burning-glass;  the  employment  of  a  strong  field  glass; 
exhibiting  the  powers  and  qualities  of  a  strong  magnet; 
showing  the  wonders  of  the  magic  lantern,  and  other 


192  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

like  simple  demonstrations,  will  invariably  impress  them 
with  something  of  respect  and  regard  toward  the  oper 
ator,  provided  he  is  exceedingly  careful  in  his  first  at 
tempts  not  to  alarm  their  pride  and  suspicion  by  any 
boastful  or  vain  expression  or  demeanor.  These  things 
should  be  done  as  if  with  the  intention  of  asking  from 
them  an  exhibition  of  their  skill  in  return  for  your  efforts 
to  please.  They  should  never  be  permitted  to  infer  that 
they  are  the  results  of  boastful  superiority.  In  this  man 
ner  a  feeling  of  mutual  regard  can  be  engendered  which 
is  the  first  step  toward  the  establishment  of  durable 
amity.  They  should  be  asked  to  exhibit  their  address 
in  shooting,  riding,  hunting  and  other  pursuits  of  like 
character,  in  which  they  are  expert.  The  white  man 
should  evince  a  desire  to  learn  as  well  as  teach;  but  so 
long  as  we  continue  to  approach  them  with  hauteur  and 
with  patronizing  airs,  they  will  resist  our  efforts  and  em 
ploy  all  their  cunning  to  overreach  and  leave  us  worse 
off  than  ever.  As  they  cannot  rise  to  our  level  we  must 
descend  to  theirs  to  understand  and  appreciate  their  true 
character. 

But  even  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  and 
with  the  employment  of  every  resource  within  our  power, 
only  very  meagre  and  unsatisfactory  results  can  be  ob 
tained.  The  labors  and  experiences  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  years  have  failed  utterly  to  create  any  favor 
able  impression  upon  our  Indian  races,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  Choctaws  and  Cherokees,  who  were  actually 
hemmed  in  by  intelligent  people,  and  had  civilization 
forced  upon  them  to  some  extent,  and  scarcely  one  of 
whom  is  tu-day  of  pure  Indian  blood.  I  consider  the 
idea  of  emancipating  our  savage  tribes  from  the  thraldom 
of  their  ignorance  and  perverse  traditional  hatred  of  the 
whites  as  wholly  utopian.  Of  all  the  tribes  on  our  con- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  193 

tinent  the  Apache  is  the  most  impracticable.  Their 
enmity  toward  mankind,  and  distrust  of  every  word  and 
act  are  ineradicable.  As  their  whole  system  of  life  and 
training  is  to  plunder,  murder  and  deceive,  they  cannot 
comprehend  opposite  attributes  in  others.  He  whom 
we  would  denounce  as  the  greatest  scoundrel  they  regard 
with  special  esteem  and  honor.  With  no  people  are  they 
on  amicable  terms,  and  never  hesitate  to  rob  from  each 
other  when  it  can  be  done  with  impunity.  There  is  no 
sympathy  among  them;  the  quality  is  unknown.  Should 
an  Apache's  horse  escape  and  run  past  another  of  the 
tribe,  close  enough  to  catch  the  animal  by  simply  reach 
ing  forth  his  hand,  that  hand  will  never  be  stretched  for 
the  purpose;  but  the  owner  must  do  the  business  for 
himself,  if  his  squaw  is  not  at  hand  to  do  it  for  him. 
Nevertheless,  after  a  successful  raid,  in  which  they  have 
captured  many  animals,  and  having  selected  the  best  for 
riding,  retire  to  some  remote  fastness  to  feed  upon  the 
remainder  so  long  as  they  last,  they  will  freely  share  to 
the  very  last  bit  with  any  and  all  comers  of  their  race. 
This  seeming  hospitality  is,  however,  not  the  result  of 
kindliness,  but  the  prompting  of  a  selfish  policy,  for 
they  are  aware  it  assists  to  unite  them  in  one  common 
band  of  plundering  brotherhood,  and  to  preserve  those 
relations  toward  each  other  without  which  they  cannot 
operate  advantageously.  Frequently  when  one  has  re 
ceived  a  small  present  of  tobacco,  or  some  such  article, 
he  will  divide  it  among  all  on  the  spot,  simply  because 
he  knows  that  the  same  thing  will  be  done  to  him  by  the 
others  whenever  occasion  serves,  and  not  from  any  sense 
of  generosity,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that,  if  one 
only  be  present  to  receive  a  gift,  he  immediately  hides 
it  on  some  part  of  his  person  and  complacently  ignores 
its  existence  to  all  who  may  arrive  after  the  event. 


194  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

There  is  nothing  of  which  they  are  so  careful  as  am 
munition.  Always  difficult  to  obtain,  and  indispensable 
in  their  engagements  at  the  present  day,  every  grain  of 
powder  is  preserved  with  extraordinary  solicitude.  In 
their  hunting  excursions  they  never  fire  a  gun  or  pistol 
if  it  can  possibly  be  avoided,  but  depend  entirely  upon 
their  skill  in  approaching  the  game  near  enough  to  use 
the  bow  and  arrow.  At  an  early  period  they  understood 
fully  the  value  of  double  sights  on  any  weapon  carrying 
a  ball,  and  the  old-fashioned  single-barreled  shot  guns, 
a  few  of  them  possessed  at  that  time,  were  invariably 
sawed  into  with  a  knife  to  the  depth  of  one-eighth  of  an 
inch,  a  few  inches  from  the  breech,  when  the  thin  sliver 
was  raised  above  the  barrel  and  carefully  notched  to  form 
the  rear  sight. 

At  the  present  writing  they  have  a  considerable  num 
ber  of  Henry's,  Spencer's  and  Sharp's  rifles,  with  some 
of  the  fixed  ammunition  required  by  the  two  first  men 
tioned.  Every  cartridge  they  get  hold  of  is  preserved 
with  solicitude  until  it  can  be  expended  with  decided 
advantage.  These  weapons  have  been  obtained  grad 
ually  by  the  robbery  and  murder  of  their  former  owners, 
and  not  a  few  have  been  bought  in  the  frontier  Mexican 
towns,  where  they  were  sold  by  immigrants  to  obtain 
food  and  other  supplies  while  crossing  the  continent. 
The  hostilities  which  raged  along  the  northern  portion 
of  Mexico  for  four  years  also  contributed  to  place  within 
their  reach  many  weapons  of  fair  quality.  That  they 
know  how  to  handle  these  arms  with  deadly  skill  has 
been  attested  on  too  many  occasions  to  need  particular 
mention  in  th€se  pages.  From  Gila  Bend  to  Paso  del 
Norte  is  little  better  than  a  continuous  grave-yard, 
grizzly  with  the  rude  monuments  of  Apache  bloodthirst- 
iness.  Town  after  town,  once  containing  several  thou- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  195 

sand  inhabitants  and  even  now  showing  the  remains  of 
fine  brick  churches;  rancho  after  rancho,  formerly  stocked 
with  hundreds  of  thousands  of  cattle  and  horses,  and 
teeming-  with  wealth;  village  after  village  all  through  the 
northern  parts  of  Sonora  and  Chihuahua,  the  whole  em 
braced  in  a  belt  five  hundred  miles  long  and  from  thirty 
to  eighty  wide,  now  exhibit  one  wide-spread  and  tenant- 
less  desolation,  the  work  of  the  Apache  Indians.  For 
ninety  consecutive  years  this  ruthless  warfare  has  been, 
carried  on  against  a  timid,  nearly  unarmed  and  demor 
alized  people.  Thousands  of  lives  have  been  destroyed, 
and  thousands  of  women  and  children  carried  into  a  cap 
tivity  worse  than  death,  during  that  period;  and  yet  the 
deadly,  destructive  and  unholy  work  goes  on  with  unre- 
laxed  vigor.  It  is  both  sickening  and  maddening  to  ride 
through  that  region  and  witness  the  far-reaching  ruin, 
to  listen  to  the  dreadful  tales  of  unequaled  atrocities, 
and  note  the  despairing  terror  which  the  bare  mention 
of  the  Apaches  conjures  up  to  their  diseased  and  horrified 
imaginations. 

Coming  to  the  American  side,  we  enter  upon  another 
field  of  destruction,  but  in  nowise  comparable  to  that 
which  Mexico  exhibits.  The  great  majority  of  our  sacri 
fices  of  life  and  property  have  been  the  results  of  want 
of  caution,  of  fool-hardiness  and  too  great  self-reliance. 
As  already  stated,  we  are  too  prone  to  underrate  the 
Apache  in  all  respects,  ^and  by  so  doing  set  a  trap  for  our 
own  feet.  But  even  on  our  side  the  border  the  traveler 
will  encounter  many  fine  farms  abandoned,  their  build 
ings  in  ruins,  and  the  products  of  years  of  industry 
wrested  from  their  grasp.  On  every  road  little  mounds 
of  stones  by  the  way-side,  some  with  a  rude  cross,  and 
others  with  a  modest  head-board,  speak  in  silent  but 
'terribly  suggestive  language  of  the  Apaches'  bloody 


196  LIFE   AMONa   THE   APACHES. 

work.  Scattered  all  over  Arizona  are  mines  of  wondrous 
wealth  utterly  inapplicable  to  the  uses  of  mankind  so 
long  as  that  tribe  remains  unsubdued  and  unconquered. 
Communication  between  any  two  places,  if  not  more 
than  a  mile  apart,  cannot  be  ventured  upon  without  ab 
solute  danger.  No  man  can  trust  his  animals  to  graze 
three  hundred  yards  from  the  town  walls  without  incur 
ring  the  risk  of  losing  them  at  high  noon.  Mexican  wo 
men  and  children  have  been  carried  off  during  the  day 
time,  while  washing  in  the  stream,  within  four  hundred 
yards  of  their  own  doors  and  in  plain  sight  of  their  towns 
people.  These  atrocities,  and  others  unnecessary  to 
mention,  go  on  year  after  year;  and  thus  far  no  success 
ful  result  has  been  obtained,  as  might  have  been  ex 
pected,  from  the  puerile  and  ill-directed  efforts  made  to 
suppress  them.  "Wherever  an  intelligent  and  well  con 
ceived  movement  has  been  concerted  within  the  power 
of  the  limited  force  in  Arizona,  official  stupidity  has  in 
variably  disconcerted  and  paralyzed  its  efficiency.  This 
is  no  vague  and  untenable  charge,  as  will  be  seen  in  suc 
ceeding  pages.  There  is  but  one  opinion  on  the  subject 
throughout  all  Arizona.  The  correspondence  between 
Gov.  McCormick  and  Gen.  McDowell,  some  of  which 
has  been  made  public  through  the  daily  papers,  is  in  it 
self  sufficient  to  establish  the  assertion,  and  no  doubt 
led  to  the  removal  of  Gen.  McDowell  from  the  field  of 
his  operations.  Personally,  my  regard  for  that  officer 
as  a  gentleman  is  very  sincere;  but  it  may  be  doubted  if 
the  army  register  contains  the  name  gf  another  so  wholly, 
so  utterly  incapable  of  comprehending  Indian  nature 
and  the  requirements  of  Indian  warfare.  As  a  cabinet 
officer  he  may  have  few  equals  in  the  service;  but  for  In 
dian  campaigning,  it  would  be  difficult  to  select  another 
so  little  fitted. 


CHAPTEE    XVI. 


Condition  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.— Active  Campaign.— Calif ornian  Soldiers. 
— Bosqiie  Redondo.— More  Intimate  Relations  with  Apaches.— Site  of  Fort 
Sumner.  —  Scarcity  of  Wood.  —  Climate.  —  Arrival  of  Apache  Prisoners  of 
War.— Dog  Canon.— Apache  Embassy.— Mr.  Labadie.— Placed  in  Charge  of 
the  Apaches.-  -Form  a  Council. — Hunting  Excursion  with  Apaches. — Their 
Mode  of  Killing  Antelopes.  —Learn  more  of  Indian  Character.  —  Obtain  a 
G  reater  Share  of  their  Confidence. 


So  soon  as  Sibley's  command  had  been  driven  from 
Arizona  and  New  Mexico,  Gen.  Carleton  devoted  his  at 
tention  to  protect  from  Indian  outrage  the  inhabitants 
of  those  Territories.  Previous  to  our  arrival  no  one  had 
the  hardihood  to  venture  outside  the  skirts  of  the  towns 
and  villages,  unless  accompanied  by  a  force  respectable 
in  numbers,  if  in  nothing  else.  The  whole  country  was 
a  theater  of  desolation.  What  the  Confederates  failed 
to  appropriate,  the  Apaches  destroyed.  The  inhabitants 
were  literally  starving  and  utterly  demoralized.  Instead 
of  being  able  to  furnish  us  supplies,  we  were  compelled 
to  afford  them  occasional  assistance.  This  state  of  affairs 
had  been  foreseen  by  Carleton,  to  some  extent,  and  we 
were  consequently  in  a  condition  to  be  independent  un 
til  such  protection  could  be  granted  as  would  induce  the 
resident  population  to  re-commence  farming  operations. 

Soon  after  our  advent,  .Gen.  Canby  was  recalled,  and 
the  chief  command  invested  in  Carleton.  From  that  time 
a  series  of  active  and  energetic  campaigns  against  the 
Apache  and  Navajo  tribes  was  inaugurated,  which  had 
the  effect  of  completely  humiliating  those  leading  na- 


198  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

tions  and  re-establishing  the  peace,  security  and  produc 
tiveness  of  the  two  Territories.  After  much  delibera 
tion,  and  years  subsequent  to  the  incidents  narrated,  it 
is  my  conviction  that  the  many  signal  triumphs  obtained 
over  the  Apaches  and  Navajoes  could  only  have  been 
achieved  by  Californian  soldiers,  who  seem  gifted  in  a 
special  manner  with  the  address  and  ability  to  contend 
advantageously  against  them.  This  assertion  has  been 
so  frequently  admitted  by  the  resident  populations  that 
it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  dilate  further  than  mention 
the  names  of  such  men  as  Koberts,  McCleave,  Fritz, 
Shirland,  the  two  Greens,  Tidball,  Whitlock,  Thayer, 
Pettis,  and  many  others,  who  rendered  good  service  and 
compassed  the  security  and  peace  of  the  two  Territories 
during  their  term  of  service.  "With  the  retirement  of 
the  Californian  troops  another  series  of  robberies  and 
massacres  was  instituted  by  the  Indians,  and  maintained 
until  the  present  time  without  apparent  hindrance. 

In  the  winter  of  1862-3,  I  was  ordered  from  Albu 
querque  to  join  Capt.  Updegraff,  commanding  company 
A,  Fifth  United  States  Infantry,  and  to  proceed  to  the 
Bosque  Bedondo,  somewhere  on  the  Pecos  river,  over 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  eastward — outside  the 
bounds  of  all  human  habitation,  and  ninety  miles  from 
the  nearest  civilized  inhabitant.  Capt.  Updegraff  was 
instructed  to  examine  the  Bosque  Kedondo,  and  select 
a  site  for  the  construction  of  a  large  fort,  with  the  view 
of  establishing  an  extensive  Indian  Reservation  in  its  im 
mediate  neighborhood.  This  sort  of  exile  was  anything 
but  displeasing  to  me,  for  I  much  preferred  being  from 
under  the  nose  of  a  commanding  General,  whose  unscru 
pulous  ambition  and  exclusive  selfishness  had  passed  into 
a  proverb,  despite  his  acknowledged  ability  and  appar 
ent  zeal.  But  it  is  not  my  task  to  discuss  matters  of 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  199 

this  nature;  and  the  reference  is  only  to  show  by  what 
means  I  again  became  intimately  acquainted  with  re 
nowned  Apaches  and  acquired  their  language,  together 
with  a  knowledge  of  those  traits,  customs  and  organiza 
tions,  which  has  enabled  me  to  write  with  confidence  and 
understanding  upon  these  and  kindred  points. 

Capt.  Updegraff  was  ordered  to  make  a  reconnoissance 
of  the  Bosque  Redondo,  and  select  a  site  for  the  future 
post  and  reservation;  such  selection  to  be  approved  or 
disapproved  by  a  board  of  engineers,  specially  ordered 
to  make  a  thorough  survey.  On  arriving  at  the  Bosque, 
the  Captain  ordered  me  to  go  ahead  and  select  a  camp 
ground;  and  in  obedience  thereto,  I  took  ten  men  and 
reconnoitered  the  river  and  its  banks  for  several  miles, 
finally  fixing  on  a  spot  formerly  used  as  a  sheep  corral 
by  Mexicans  during  a  time  of  peace,  many  years  before. 
This  spot  was  chosen  for  the  three  fold  reasons  that  it 
was  near  water,  which  was  approachable  through  an 
open  space  in  the  woods;  that  it  was  covered  with  excel 
lent  pasture;  and  that  it  contained  the  stakes  and  tim 
bers  of  the  old  corral,  which  were  dry  and  made  excel 
lent  fire-wood.  This  selection  was  approved,  and  the 
next  day  a  further  reconnoissance  was  made  to  fix  a  per 
manent  site  for  the  fort.  This  ended  in  confirming  the 
first  choice,  and  here  the  most  beautiful  Indian  fort  in 
the  United  States  was  ultimately  constructed,  the  board 
of  engineers  having  indorsed  the  spot  as  being  the  most 
eligible  on  the  river.  This  fort  was  built  almost  wholly 
by  Calif ornian  soldiers,  and  is  beyond  comparison  the 
handsomest  and  most  picturesque  in  the  Union.  Never 
theless,  it  was  easy  to  comprehend  that,  should  &ny  great 
number  of  persons  be  assembled  thereat,  a  scarcity  of 
wood  must  ultimately  occur,  and  as  Fahrenheit's  ther 
mometer  occasionally  falls  to  eight  and  ten  degrees  be- 


200  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

low  zero  in  the  winter  time,  wood  was  an  object  of  prime 
necessity.  The  alamo  furnished  the  whole  supply  of  this 
material ,  and  the  extent  of  the  Bosque  Redondo ,  or  Round 
Woods,  was  only  sixteen  miles  long  by  half  a  mile  wide 
in  the  widest  place,  and  for  several  miles  affording  only 
a  few  scattered  trees,  which  were  by  no  means  thick  even 
in  the  densest  portions.  When  we  arrived  the  weather 
was  very  cold,  with  eight  inches  of  snow  upon  the  ground, 
and  the  first  duty  was  to  "  hut  in"  the  command.  This 
was  accomplished  in  a  short  time,  after  which  rude  but 
serviceable  stables  were  put  up,  a  hospital,  quartermas 
ter's  and  commissary's  stores  built,  and  the  other  requi 
site  shelters  erected. 

Scarcely  had  these  precautions  been  taken  before  we 
received  an  invoice  of  five  hundred  Apaches,  including 
the  leading  warriors  of  the  Mescalero  tribe,  their  women 
and  children,  and  a  few  of  the  chief  Jicarillas.  These 
were  the  savages  who  had  so  long  held  Dog  Canon,  and 
defied  all  attempts  to  force  a  passage  through  that  re 
nowned  stronghold.  Capt.  McCleave,  of  company  A, 
First  Cavalry  California  Volunteers,  determined  to 
"give  it  a  try;"  and  having  obtained  permission,  soon 
succeeded  in  routing  and  completely  demoralizing  the 
savages,  who  fled  to  Fort  Stanton  for  shelter  and  protec 
tion,  closely  pursued  by  McCleave  and  his  company — so 
closely,  in  fact,  that  the  Apaches  saw  no  other  means  of 
escape  from  certain  destruction  except  to  deliver  them 
selves  up  as  prisoners  of  war  to  Col.  "Kit"  Carson,  at 
that  time  in  charge  of  Fort  Stanton,  with  four  compa 
nies  of  infantry  and  one  of  native  New  Mexican  cavalry. 
Carson  informed  McCleave  that  the  Indians  had  placed 
themselves  under  his  protection,  subject  to  the  disposal 
of  the  General  commanding;  upon  which  McCleave  with 
drew,  not  over-pleased  with  the  result,  although  he  had 
whipped  them  handsomely  in  Dog  Canon. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  201 

Soon  afterward  five  of  the  leading  warriors  proceeded 
to  Santa  Fe,  under  an  armed  escort,  to  confer  with  the 
General,  who  exacted  that  they  should  submit  to  being 
placed  upon  the  reservation  of  the  Bosque  Eedondo. 
The  answer  of  their  chief  spokesman,  named  Cadete'by 
the  Mexicans,  but  whose  Apache  appellation  is  Gian- 
nah-tah,  or  "Always  Ready,"  is  indicative  of  the  nature 
and  character  of  his  tribe.  Having  listened  to  the  Gen 
eral's  final  determination,  he  answered  and  said: 

"You  are  stronger  than  we.  We  have  fought  ybu  so 
long  as  we  had  rifles  and  powder;  but  your  arms  are 
better  than  ours.  Give  us  like  weapons  and  turn  us 
loose,  we  will  fight  you  again;  but  we  are  worn-out;  we 
have  no  more  heart;  we  have  no  provisions,  no  means  to 
live;  your  troops  are  everywhere;  our  springs  and  water 
holes  are  either  occupied  or  overlooked  by  your  young 
men.  You  have  driven  us  from  our  last  and  best  strong 
hold,  and  we  have  no  more  heart.  Do  with  us  as  may 
seem,  good  to  you,  but  do  not  forget  we  are  men  and 
braves." 

They  were  remanded  back  to  Fort  Stanton,  and  from 
thence  sent  to  the  Bosque  Eedondo,  since  called  Fort 
Sumner,  where  they  arrived  after  a  long  and  painful 
march  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles,  with  short  ra 
tions  and  much  suffering.  They  were  immediately  turned 
over  to  my  charge  by  Capt.  TJpdegraff,  although  the  In 
dian  agent,  Mr.  Labaclie,  was  with  them,  and  from  that 
moment  I  laid  the  foundation  of  that  confidence  and 
respect  which  was  never  alienated,  and  which  enabled 
me  to  perfect  a  knowledge  of  their  character  far  greater 
than  ever  arrived  at  by  the  experiences  of  any  other 
white  man. 

In  a  short  time  their  number  was  increased  to  seven 
hundred,  and  subsequently  to  nearly  fifteen  hundred. 


202  LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

By  their  own  request  I  was  authorized  to  take  exclusive 
charge  of  their  affairs.  In  so  far  as  military  movements 
were  concerned,  they  appointed  me  their  Nantanh-in- 
jah,  or  Chief  Captain,  and  submitted  to  my  arbitration 
all  their  social  and  tribal  difficulties,  my  decision  being 
final.  I  soon  formed  a  council  of  their  principal  men, 
and  lost  no  opportunity  to  make  myself  acquainted  with 
their  views,  manners,  habits,  customs,  religious  and  so 
cial  observances,  language,  and,  in  fine,  whatever  tended 
to  unfold  their  characteristics.  My  council  consisted  of 
Gian-nah-tah,  or  Always  Ready;  Na-tanh,  or  the  Corn 
Flower;  Too-ah-y ay-say,  or  the  Strong  Swimmer;  Natch- 
in-ilk-kisn,  or  the  Colored  Beads;  Nah-kah-yen,  or  the 
Keen  Sighted;  Para-dee-ah-tran,  or  the  Contented;  Klo- 
sen,  or  the  Hair  Hope;  and  a  Jicarilla  man  of  note,  whose 
Indian  naime  has  escaped  my  memory,  but  the  meaning 
of  which  was  the  Kicking  Horse.  The  renown  of  these 
warriors  was  too  well  established  in  the  tribe  to  admit  of 
doubt,  and,  whatever  they  said,  was  submitted  to  with 
out  question.  How  this  control  was  obtained  over  these 
grim  savages  is  worthy  of  mention,  as  indicative  of  their 
profound  respect  for  personal  adventure. 

Five  days  after  their  arrival  in  camp,  Mr.  Labadie 
came  to  me  and  said:  "These  Indians  are  in  great  des 
titution.  They  consumed  their  rations  two  days  ago, 
and  have  nothing  to  eat.  There  are  many  women  and 
children  among  them,  and  two  days  more  must  elapse 
before  rations  are  again  distributed.  Their  warriors 
have  asked  that  they  be  allowed  to  go  hunting.  The 
plains  close  by  are  filled  with  herds  of  antelopes,  which 
may  easily  be  taken.  I  have  been  to  Capt.  Updegraff, 
but  he  will  not  hearken  to  the  proposition;  please  try 
and  see  what  you  can  do,  for  otherwise  they  may  attempt 
to  escape  from  the  Reservation." 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  203 

I  immediately  sought  the  post  commander  and  said  to 
him :  "  Captain,  the  Apaches  have  asked  your  permission 
to  go  on  a  grand  hunt,  which  you  have  refused;  allow 
me  to  say  that  they  are  starving,  that  you  have  their 
wives  and  children  as  hostages  for  their  return,  and  if 
you  will  recall  your  determination,  I  will  volunteer  to  go 
out  with  them  and  be  answerable  for  their  safe  return 
within  forty-eight  hours." 

Capt.  Updegraff  peered  at  me  through  his  black,  in 
telligent  eyes  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  replied: 
"Very  well,  Captain;  if  you  choose  to  trust  yourself 
with  these  unmitigated  red  devils  and  make  yourself  re 
sponsible  for  their  return,  and  give  me  official  assurance 
in  writing,  that  it  is  indispensably  necessary,  you  can 
start  with  them  to-morrow  morning  at  daylight;  but  do 
not  remain  away  longer  than  forty-eight  hours." 

This  resolution  was  forthwith  conveyed  to  Mr.  Laba- 
dife,  who  spread  it  among  the  Apaches,  taking  care  to 
inform  them  by  what  means  the  favor  had  been  granted. 

Next  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  we  sallied  forth,  the 
party  numbering  one  hundred  and  ten  Apaches,  ninety- 
five  of  whom  were  warriors  and  fifteen  women — the  only 
person  present,  not  an  Apache,  being  myself.  I  had 
four  Colt's  six-shooters,  two  in  my  saddle-holsters  and 
two  in  my  belt,  with  a  large  bowie  knife,  but  my  horse 
was  infinitely  superior  to  anything  they  could  boast  in 
that  line.  They  were  all  armed  with  bows  and  arrows — 
all  who  possessed  rifles  or  pistols  having  left  them  in 
camp. 

In  the  field,  whether  for  warlike  purposes  or  for  hunt 
ing,  the  Apache  is  very  reticent,  and  by  no  means  given 
to  talking.  Conversation  is  only  indulged  while  in  camp, 
and  amidst  friends  during  a  period  of  apparent  security. 
But  upon  this  occasion  they  gave  full  vent  to  their  joy 


204  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

and  satisfaction,  and  offered  me  a  number  of  little  atten 
tions.  We  rode  on  for  five  miles  until  the  top  of  a  hill 
was  reached,  from  which  we  could  obtain  a  fair  view  of 
the  surrounding  country.  Here  a  short  consultation  was 
held  among  them,  during  which  I  smoked  a  cigarito, 
giving*  several  to  those  close  in  my  neighborhood.  A 
certain  direction  having  been  selected  as  the  field  of  op 
erations,  we  again  started,  and  after  having  progressed 
about  two  miles,  the  band  formed  into  two  lines,  the 
first  being  about  six  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  the 
second.  These  two  bodies  then  prolonged  their  lines  so 
that  no  two  individuals  were  nearer  than  forty  or  fifty 
yards,  which  stretched  each  line  to  the  distance  of  two 
thousand  five  hundrec^  or  three  thousand  yards,  sweep 
ing  a  large  surface  of  territory,  and  yet  close  enough 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  an  antelope  through  the  two 
human  barriers,  or  between  the  huntsmen  in  each.  In 
this  f  ormatibn  we  progressed  until  a  herd  was  seen  abaut 
half  a  mile  in  advance.  Instantly  the  two  wings  of  the 
first  line  rode  forward  at  full  speed,  and  succeeded  in 
cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the  doomed  animals  by  com 
pleting  a  circle;  at  the  same  time  the  gaps  were  rapidly 
closed  up,  and  the  circle  narrowed  with  amazing  celerity 
and  dexterity.  The  terror-stricken  antelopes  turned  to 
flee,  but  on  every  side  they  met  an  inexorable  and  keenly 
watchful  enemy.  Bewildered,  panting  with  agony  and 
fear,  inclosed  on  all  sides,  they  soon  became  incapable 
of  continuing  the  unequal  contest,  and  were  killed  with 
perfect  ease.  The  few  which  contrived  to  break  through 
the  first  line  were  sure  to  meet  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
second.  Not  one  in  fifty  escaped,  and  their  preservation 
seemed  almost  miraculous.  In  this  way  we  managed  to 
destroy  eighty-seven  antelopes  on  that  expedition,  and 
it  was  my  good  fortune  to  kill  five,  being  two  more  than 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  205 

were  bagged  by  any  other  hunter  on  the  field.  These  I 
gave  the  Apaches,  reserving  only  a  hind  quarter  for  my 
self.  Within  thirty-six  hours  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
reporting  to  Capt.  Updegraff,  and  relating  to  him  the 
complete  success  of  our  hunting  excursion,  at  which  he 
was  so  well  pleased  that  I  never  afterward  met  any  ob 
jection  from  that  gallant  and  good  officer  when  a  like 
expedition  was  to  be  undertaken. 

After  this  event  the  Apaches  seemingly  gave  me  more 
of  their  confidence  than  ever,  but  I  was  still  far  from  the 
point  ultimately  reached,  although  I  then  thought  I  had 
achieved  it  nearly  all.  This  fact  should  warn  us  never 
to  arrive  at  hasty  conclusions,  especially  when  dealing 
with  a  people  which  have  studiously  endeavored  to  mis 
lead  and  cozen  all  with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  I 
had  rendered  them  ran  important  service;  they  were 
grateful  to  me  for  such  aid.  I  had  trusted  myself  unre 
servedly  among  them,  the  avowed  enemies  of  my  race, 
and  they  respected  me  for  my  confidence.  But  I  was 
still  a  white  man,  and  they  were  still  Apaches.  "While 
professing  a  certain  degree  of  personal  regard,  they  not 
only  refused  to  admit  me  within  the  sanctum  of  their 
trust,  but  some  of  them  even  began  to  look  upon  me  as 
endeavoring  to  gain  their  confidence  for  the  purpose  of 
betraying  and  using  it  against  them  should  opportunity 
serve.  Fortunately,  these  suspicions  were  allayed  in  the 
course  of  time,  and  after  a  year  and  a  half  of  constant 
intercourse,  during  which  period  they  and  several  thou 
sand  Navajoes  —  a  branch  of  the  great  Apache  race  — 
were  under  my  personal  supervision,  I  was  admitted  to 
a  tolerably  fair  knowledge  of  the  points  under  consider 
ation  in  this  work. 
10 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

Satisfaction  of  the  Apaches. — Policy. — Beneficial  Results  to  my  Men. — Individual 
Responsibility.— Short  Allowance.— The  Apache  nations  Continued.— Gen. 
Carleton's  Visit.  —  Bishop  Lamy.  —  Supplies  Received.  —  Apaches  Elect  a 
Governor. — Juan  Cojo. — Commence  Learning  the  Apache  Language. — Com 
pile  a  Vocabulary. — Gradually  gain  Apache  Confidence. — Renew  Acquaint 
ance  with  Old  Enemies. — Altered  Relations. — Former  Events  Recalled. — 
Instruction  thrown  Away.  — Apache  Ideas  of  Warfare.  —  Their  Horror  of 
Work. — Influence  of  their  Women. — Mescal. — Its  Intoxicating  Qualities. 

THE  successful  result  of  our  hunting  expedition  put 
the  Apaches  in  high  spirits.  They  understood  that  they 
were  not  to  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  in  the  strict 
sense  of  that  phrase,  but  were  to  be  allowed  the  privilege 
of  wide  and  extensive  hunting  grounds,  teeming  with 
game;  were  not  interrupted  in  their  social  relations,  only 
in  so  far  as  a  rigid  police  of  their  camp  was  required  to 
prevent  disease,  and  could  live  almost  as  unrestrained 
as  in  their  native  wilds,  provided  they  were  all  present 
or  duly  accounted  for  at  the  stated  roll-call,  which  took 
place  every  evening  at  sunset. 

Feeling  that  many  of  these  privileges  had  been  ob 
tained  through  my  instrumentality,  they  sought  my  tent 
daily  in  great  numbers,  and  seemed  inclined  to  regard 
me  as  their  protector  and  best  friend.  As  it  was  well 
known  that  they  were  in  constant  correspondence  with 
those  of  their  race  who  had  not  surrenderee!,  and  as  the 
members  of  my  company  were  always  detailed  for  mili 
tary  couriers  between  Fort  Sumner,  Fort  Mason,  Fort 
Stanton,  Santa  Fe,  and  other  points,  I  judged  it  pru 
dent  to  gain  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  the  Apaches 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  207 

to  the  greatest  possible  extent,  knowing  that  their  kind 
ness  for  me  W|mld  extend  itself  to  the  men  of  my  com 
pany,  and  this'lbelief  was  afterward  fully  justified  when 
roving  parties  of  Indians  happened  to  meet  my  couriers. 
Tins  occurred  on  several  occasions,  when  the  savages 
were  so  numerous  as  to  make  resistence  out  of  the  ques 
tion.  They  would  ride  up,  examine  the  soldier  atten 
tively,  find  out  that  he  belonged  to  my  company  at  Fort 
Sumner,  bid  him  good-by  in  their  best  manner,  and  ride 
off,  without  attempting  to  do  him  harm  or  deprive  him 
of  horse  or  weapons. 

About  six  months  afterward,  G-ian-nah-tah,  commonly 
called  Cadete  by  the  Mexicans,  told  me  confidentially 
that  neither  myself  nor  my  men  would  be  harmed  by  the 
Apaches  so  long  as  we  remained  in  the  country,  as  those 
in  camp  felt  that  they  were  greatly  indebted  to  us  for 
many  little  kindnesses.  This  promise  wTas  carried  out  to 
the  letter,  and  convinced  me  that  gratitude  for  services 
rendered  is  by  no  means  a  strange  emotion  in  the  Apache 
character.  I,  however,  doubt  much  if  any  other  white 
man  ever  had  the  opportunity,  or,  having  it,  ever  did 
take  so  much  pains  to  win  the  respect  and  confidence  of 
those  strange  and  suspicious  people.  It  will  be  observed 
that  I  use  the  word  "  those"  in  the  foregoing  sentence, 
instead  of  "that,"  and  simply  because  each  is  so  per 
fectly  independent  in  all  his  belongings  from  all  other 
tribes  that  they  cannot  be  justly  classified  as  a  conjoint 
or  co-operative  race  except  for  purposes  of  plunder  and 
mutual  defense  when  attacked.  "When  summoned  to 
prosecute  hostilities,  unless  against  some  marauding 
party  of  Comanches,  Navajoes,  or  other  tribes,  each  in 
dividual  is  free  to  join  or  not  as  he  may  see  fit.  Should 
the  enterprise  promise  plenty  of  plunder  with  but  little 
personal  risk,  no  trouble  will  be  found  to  engage  all  the 


208  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

warriors  needed;  but,  no  matter  how  greatly  superior 
their  force  may  be,  no  precaution  for  safety  is  neg 
lected,  and  no  means  ignored  which  promises  to  secure 
their  object  without  loss  of  life.  It  is  only  when  prompt 
and  immediate  action  is  necessary  that  they  resign  their 
personal  independence  wholly  to  the  guidance  of  some 
well  known  and  selected  warrior,  but  the  occasion  passed, 
that  same  leader  falls  back  to  his  original  individuality, 
the  same  as  the  President  of  the  United  States  resumes 
his  plain  citizenship  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office. 

About  this  time  Gen.  Carleton  instituted  rigid  inquiries 
as  to  the  quantity  of  provision  on  hand  in  the  subsist 
ence  departments  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  from 
the  reports  made  to  him,  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
there  would  be  somewhat  of  a  scarcity  before  supplies 
could  be  received.  Nearly  three  thousand  Californian 
troops  had  been  thrown  into  the  two  Territories,  nine 
thousand  Indians  —  Apaches  and  Navajoes —  had  suc 
cumbed  to  our  arms,  the  country  had  been  overrun  and 
devastated  by  Sibley's  column  from  Texas,  no  industrial 
nor  agricultural  pursuits  had  been  re-commenced,  and 
absolute  want  stared  everybody  in  the  face.  Orders 
were  immediately  given  to  shorten  the  rations,  and  that 
for  the  Indians  on  the  Fort  Sumner  Keservation  were  to 
be  cut  down  largely.  The  order  was  issued  to  Capt. 
Updegraff,  Fifth  United  States  Infantry,  commanding 
Fort  Sumner,  to  take  effect  at  a  fixed  date.  Capt.  Up 
degraff  notified  Mr.  Labadie,  the  Indian  Agent,  of  the 
order;  Mr.  Labadie  communicated  the  fact  to  me,  and  I 
immediately  waited  upon  Capt.  Updegraff  and  requested 
him  to  communicate  with  the  General  commanding,  and 
state  the  following  arguments:  There  were  nearly  nine 
thousand  Indians  on  that  one  Keservation.  They  had 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  209 

been  subdued  by  the  Californian  troops  after  great  exer 
tions,  and  the  Territory  rendered  comparatively  free 
from  those  terrible  Indian  raids  that  for  so  many  years 
had  laid  it  waste  from  one  end  to  the  other;  that  so  long 
as  those  raids  continued  the  industry  of  the  people 
would  be  suppressed  and  crushed  out,  and  that  the  best 
guaranty  which  could  be  given  the  inhabitants  would  be 
to  retain  the  savages  on  the  Reservation .  This  could 
be  done  so  long  as  they  had  sufficient  to  eat.  There  were 
large  numbers  of  women  and  children  who  could  neither 
hunt  nor  obtain  their  livelihoods  by  any  means  except 
through  the  Government  rations,  so  long  as  they  re 
mained  in  semi-captivity;  that  the  Reservation  farm  was 
not  yet  in  a  condition  to  yield  the  requisite  support,  and 
that  if  their  rations  were  diminished,  a  spirit  of  intense 
dissatisfaction  would  display  itself  in  the  escape  of  thou 
sands  whom  it  would  be  impossible  to  restrain  with  our 
very  limited  force,  and  that  the  escaping  parties  would 
immediately  betake  themselves  to  plunder,  assassination 
and  destructive  inroads.  I,  therefore,  begged  Capt. 
Updegraff  to  represent  these  and  other  cogent  argu 
ments  to  the  General,  with  a  view  of  having  the  full  ra 
tion  continued  to  the  Indians. 

These  arguments  had  weight  with  the  Post  Com 
mander,  and  were  by  him  urged  on  the  attention  of  the 
General,  who  immediately  perceived  their  truthfulness, 
and  ordered  the  full  ration  continued  until  such  time  as 
he  could  make  personal  investigation.  Fortunately  an 
opportunity  soon  occurred,  and  the  General  visited  Fort 
Sumner  with  several  officers  and  the  Et.  Eev.  Bishop 
Lamy,  Bishop  of  New  Mexico. 

Next  day  Capt.  Updegraff  candidly  informed  the  Gen 
eral  that  I  had  prompted  his  letter,  and  I  was  summoned 
to  the  interview  which  followed.  After  a  careful  inquiry 

I 


210  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

and  examination  of  several  days,  Gen.  Carletori  arrived 
at  the  same  opinion  with  myself,  and  the  full  ration  was 
ordered  to  be  given  as  before.  Six  weeks  subsequently 
the  several  Commissaries  in  the  two  Territories  made 
official  returns  of  their  supplies,  and  it  was  found  that 
their  former  estimates  were  far  short  of  the  mark.  At 
the  same  time  subsistence  stores  began  to  arrive  from  the 
East,  and  the  new  crops  were  being  harvested,  in  peace, 
for  the  first  time  for  many  years.  Upon  these  represen 
tations,  orders  were  issued  to  restore  full  rations  to  all 
the  troops,  and  abundance  once  more  gladdened  our  ta 
bles.  Whether  right  or  wrong,  the  savages  were  taught 
by  Mr.  Labadie  to  believe  that  I  was  the  person  whose 
agency  had  preserved  them  from  half  rations,  and  the 
reader  can  well  suppose  how  much  I  rose  in  their  esti 
mation.  I  was  appointed  grand  director  of  their  camps, 
with  power  to  decide  all  differences  and  settle  all  quar 
rels  between  parties.  Every  grievance,  real  or  imagined, 
was  submitted  for  my  jurisdiction;  and,  I  am  proud  to 
add,  that  my  administration  was  regarded  with  affection 
ate  reverence.  Those  wild  and  untamed  sons  and 
daughters  of  the  forests,  the  plains  and  the  mountains, 
would  throng  my  casita  from  reveille  until  tattoo,  asking 
a  thousand  questions  and  always  receiving  proper  atten 
tion.  Among  them  was  a  Mexican,  about  forty  years 
old,  who  had  been  a  captive  to  their  "bow  and  spear" 
for  twenty  odd  years.  He  was  taken  at  the  age  of  eleven 
and  did  not  obtain  his  release  until  he  was  past  thirty- 
three.  That  man,  Juan  Cojo,  spoke  their  language  as 
fluently  as  themselves,  and  had  been  engaged  as  inter 
preter.  Juan  and  I  soon  became  good  friends,  although 
I  must  confess  that  his  Apache  education  had  somewhat 
unfitted  him  to  be  the  most  moral  character  of  my  ac 
quaintance.  Nevertheless,  his  services  were  indispensa- 
fl 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  211 

ble,  and  I  induced  Gen.  Carleton  tcv  appropriate  fifty 
dollars  per  month  additional  pay  to  Juan*«<to  teach  me 
the  Apache  language.  The  fellow  worked  faithfully 
with  me  for  nearly  three  months,  during  which  time  I 
compiled  the  only  vocabulary  of  the  Apache  language  in 
existence,  and  forwarded  the  result  of  my  labors  to  G-en. 
Carleton,  with  the  view  of  having  it  published  for  gen 
eral  use  at  the  different  posts  in  New  Mexico  and  Ar 
izona.  The  General  sent  the  manuscript  to  the  Smith 
sonian  Institution,  and  it  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Prof.  George  Gibbs  for  publication  iu  an  exhaustive 
work  on  Ethnology,  to  be  issued  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Institution.  I  have  waited  several  years  for  its 
appearance,  but  have  not  yet  seen  anything  of  the  kind. 
Perhaps  it  will  some  day  come  to  light.  In  the  mean 
time,  I  received  from  the  Institution  an  acknowledgment 
of  my  labors,  the  chief  credit  being  given  to  Gen.  Carle- 
ton —  probably  because  he  was  General,  and  I  only  a 
Captain,  subject  to  his  orders.  Let  that  be  as  it  may,  I 
felt  both  pride  and  pleasure  in  acquiring  a  language 
never  before  spoken  by  a  white  man,  and  I  took  much 
pains  to  systematize  it  as  far  as  practicable,  or  my  abili 
ties  could  go.  In  order  to  be  certain  about  the  reliabil 
ity  of  my  novel  acquirement,  I  every  day  submitted  what 
I  had  learned  the  day  previous  to  the  criticism  of  the 
leading  warriors  of  the  tribe.  They  expressed  much  de 
light  at  my  desire  to  learn  and  communicate  with  them 
in  their  own  tongue,  and  manifested  zeal  in  putting  me 
right  on  all  occasions.  Nothing  was  committed  to  final 
record  until  it  had  been  fully  tested  four  or  five  times, 
and  I  believe  the  work  to  be  as  nearly  perfect  as  could 
be  got  up  under  the  circumstances. 

This  zeal  on  my  part  enhanced  the  favorable  opinion 
the  Apaches  already  held  toward  me,  and  rendered  them 


212  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

unusually  communicative.  So  soon  as  they  found  that 
I  was  anxious  to  converse  with  them  in  their  own  lan 
guage,  and  had  labored  to  acquire  it,  their  confidence 
and  regard  increased  in  geometrical  progression.  It  was 
not  unusual  with  them,  when  asking  a  favor,  another 
officer  being  present,  to  address  me  in  Apache,  and  their 
little  secrets  were  never  betrayed.  The  reader  will  have 
no  difficulty  to  comprehend  how,  under  such  circum 
stances,  the  writer  should  have  gained  an  ascendancy 
over  this  most  untamable  and  intensely  suspicious  of  all 
our  Indian  tribes.  It  was  not  the  work  of  a  month  nor 
of  a  year,  but  the  experience  of  several  years,  aided  by 
events  which  may  never  happen  again.  Many  of  them 
had  seen  and  known  me  while  interpreter  of  the  Boun 
dary  Commission  under  the  Hon.  John  K.  Bartlett. 
Some  of  them  were  present  and  took  part  in  that  terrific 
chase  along  the  Jornada  del  Muerto,  and  they  reminded 
me  of  the  event,  after  they  became  convinced  that  I  was 
their  best  friend  and  harbored  no  vindictive  feelings 
against  the  parties.  While  conversing  on  this  matter 
one  day,  a  warrior  led  to  me  an  old  squaw,  her  two 
daughters  and  one  son,  all  grown  up,  the  oldest  being 
about  twenty- two,  and  informed  me  that  they  were  the 
wife  and  children  of  the  man  who  led  the  chase  against 
me  thirteen  years  before.  I  received  them  kindly,  and 
asked  if  they  did  not  think  it  better  for  them  that  I 
should  be  alive  to  do  them  kindness  then,  than  to  have 
been  murdered  by  their  relatives  in  1850.  They  replied 
by  saying,  "  Yes,  much  better/'  laughing  and  asking  me 
to  give  them  some  vermilion — a  color  very  highly  prized 
by  the  Apaches. 

On  the  Eeservation  were  one  or  two  who  happened  to 
be  at  the  Copper  Mines  at  the  time  that  Inez  Gonzales 
and  the  two  Mexican  boys  were  rescued,  as  related  in 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  213 

preceding  chapters,  but  they  never  could  be  made  to 
comprehend  the  justice  of  those  rescues,  until  I  asked 
them — "You  took  those  people  captive  by  force,  did  you 
not?"' 

"Yes;  we  took  them  because  we  were  stronger  and 
more  expert  than  they." 

"Well,  I  took  them  from  you  for  the  same  reasons. 
We  were  stronger  and  more  expert  than  you,  and  we  de 
prived  you  of  your  spoil.  Suppose  you  were  to  meet  a 
small  band  of  Comanches  with  two  or  three  hundred 
horses  which  they  had  stolen  from  Mexican  owners,  and 
your  party  were  the  stronger  of  the  two,  would  you  not 
take  their  spoil  ?" 

"  Certainly,  because  they  would  do  so  to  us  under  like 
circumstances." 

"Very  well;  you  would  have  taken  two  American  Igfds 
and  an  American  girl,  if  you  had  met  them  unprotected, 
I  know,  because  you  have  done  it;  and  we  took  not  your 
people,  but  those  you  had  reduced  to  captivity,  and  re 
stored  them  to  their  relatives.  We  did  not  keep  them 
for  our  servants  and  slaves;  but,  they  being  our  friends, 
we  released  them  from  your  grasp  when  we  found  them 
in  distress.  The  same* rule  you  apply  to  the  Comanches 
and  all  other  peoples  we  applied  to  you;  were  we  not 
right?" 

The  justice  and  pertinence  of  these  remarks  were  ad 
mitted  with  reluctance,  for  the  untutored  Apache  mind, 
like  that  of  what  is  called  high  civilization  and  refine 
ment,  is  eminently  selfish  and  obtuse  to  moral  convic 
tion.  Extremes  meet. 

It  was,  nevertheless,  pleasant  to  recall  the  many  times 
I  had  escaped  their  well-laid  plans  to  deprive  me  and 
my  associates  of  life  or  property,  and  the  as  many  occa 
sions  in  which  they  had  been  foiled  in  their  benevolent 


214  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

intentions.  The  sanguinary  deaths  of  Mangas  Colorado, 
of  Cuchillo  Negro,  of  Ponce,  of  Delgadito,  of  Amarillo, 
and  other  renowned  warriors,  were  cited  in  proof  of  the 
futility  of  their  efforts  to  combat  successfully  against  the 
white  men.  Their  then  dependence,  as  prisoners  of  war, 
their  defenseless  condition  on  the  Reservation,  their 
rapidly  decreasing  numbers,  their  disintegrating  forces, 
and  other  like  examples,  were  also  pointed  out  and  em 
phasized,  and  had  momentary  effect;  but  the  next  day, 
after  admitting  the  severe  lessons  of  history,  they  would 
resume  their  hauteur  and  exclaim,  "that  if  they  pos 
sessed  as  good  weapons  as  ours,  they  could  whip  us  out 
of  the  country  they  claimed  as  exclusively  their  own." 

The  teachings  of  experience  are  lost  upon  the  Apache. 
He  believes  himself  the  superior  being,  and  frequent  ad 
versities  are  accounted  for  in  so  many  and  plausible 
ways  that  his  self-love  and  inordinate  vanity  are  always 
appeased.  He  has  shown  himself  more  than  a  match 
for  other  barbarous  tribes,  and  for  the  semi-civilized  na 
tives  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona.  He  infers  that  be 
cause  we  inhabit  the  houses  of  the  last  mentioned,  and 
consort  with  them  freely,  in  the  absence  of  other  society, 
that  we  are  of  the  same  general  stamp  and  character.  He 
admits  the  superior  gallantry  and  prowess  of  the  Amer 
ican  race,  but  attributes  them  to  our  confidence  in  the 
superiority  of  our  weapons.  The  result  is  that  he  uses 
more  precaution  in  approaching  the  American  than  the 
Mexican;  but  this  renders  his  attacks  more  to  be  dreaded 
and  guarded  against,  although  he  never  loses  sight  of 
subtlety  and  careful  consideration  in  all  his  movements, 
no  matter  against  whom  directed.  This  is  a  distinguish 
ing  feature  of  the  Apache.  If  fifty  of  them  were  to  ap 
proach  a  single  armed  traveler  they  would  do  so  with 
caution. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  215 

Like  all  other  savages  they  highly  prize  physical 
strength  and  personal  courage,  but  are  severe  critics  in 
reference  to  the  latter  quality.  When  Lord  Cardigan 
led  the  famous  charge  of  the  six  hundred  at  Balaklava, 
it  was  carefully  observed  by  the  French  Marshal,  Pel- 
issier,  who  exclaimed:  "C'est  beau,  c'est  grande,  metis, 
c'est  ne  pas  de  la  guerre."  In  like  manner,  the  Apache 
regards  our  reckless  onsets  as  vain  and  foolish.  He  is 
in  the  habit  of  saying:  "The  Americans  are  brave,  but 
they  lack  astuteness.  They  build  a  great  fire  which 
throws  out  so  much  heat  that  they  cannot  approach  it 
to  warm  themselves,  and  when  they  hear  a  gun  fired 
they  are  absurd  enough  to  rush  to  the  spot.  But  it  is 
not  so  with  us;  we  build  small  fires  in  secluded  nooks 
which  cannot  be  seen  by  persons  unless  close  by,  and 
we  gather  near  to  them  so  as  to  obtain  the  warmth,  and 
when  we  hear  a  gun  fired  we  get  away  as  soon  as  possi 
ble  to  some  place  from  which  we  can  ascertain  the 
cause/'  They  regard  our  daring  as  folly,  and  think 
"  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor."  I  am  not  so  sure 
but  that  they  are  correct  in  this  idea,  as  well  as  in  sev 
eral  others. 

There  is  nothing  which  an  Apache  holds  in  greater 
detestation  than  labor  or  work  of  any  kind.  All  occu 
pations  unconnected  with  war  or  plunder  are  esteemed 
altogether  beneath  his  dignity  and  attention.  He  will 
patiently  and  industriously  manufacture  his  bow  and 
quiver  full  of  arrows,  his  spear  and  other  arms;  but  he 
disdains  all  other  kinds  of  employment.  He  will  suffer 
the  pangs  of  hunger  before  engaging  in  the  chase,  and 
absolutely  refuses  to  cultivate  the  ground,  even  at  the 
cost  of  simply  sowing  the  seed;  but  he  is  ever  ready  to 
take  the  war-path,  and  will  undergo  indescribable  suf 
ferings  and  hardships  for  the  hope  of  a  little  plunder. 


216  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Herein  lies  his  credit  and  fame  as  a  warrior;  upon  his 
success  in  such  undertakings  rests  his  whole  celebrity 
and  standing  among  the  squaws  whom  he  affects  to  treat 
with  indifference,  but  whose  smiles  and  favors  are,  after 
all,  the  greatest  incentives  to  his  acts.  It  is  a  grand 
mistake  to  suppose  that  because  the  Apaches  are  seem 
ingly  indifferent  to  the  condition  of  their  women — that, 
because  like  other  savage  tribes,  they  force  the  burden 
of  hard  labor  upon  them,  they  are  not  elated  by  their 
praises  or  humbled  by  their  censures.  On  the  contrary, 
they  are  keenly  alive  to  such  sensations,  and  under  the 
mask  of  apparent  indifference  and  assumed  superiority 
are  quite  as  susceptible  to  the  blandishments  of  the  fe 
male  sex,  and  to  their  opinions  as  regards  merits,  as  the 
most  civilized  and  enlightened  of  their  fellow  country 
men — white  Americans.  After  a  successful  raid  they  are 
received  with  songs  and  rejoicings.  Their  deeds  are  re 
hearsed  with  many  eulogiums,  and  they  become  great, 
in  their  own  estimations,  for  a  while.  But  if  unsuccess 
ful,  they  meet  with  jeers  and  insults.  The  women  turn 
away  from  them  with  assumed  indifference  and  con 
tempt.  They  are  upbraided  as  cowards,  or  for  want  of 
skill  and  tact,  and  are  told  that  such  men  should  not 
have  wives,  because  they  do  not  know  how  to  provide 
for  their  wants.  When  so  reproached,  the  warriors  hang 
their  heads  and  offer  no  excuse  for  failure.  To  do  so 
would  only  subject  them  to  more  ridicule  and  objurga 
tion;  but,  Indian-like,  they  bide  their  time,  in  the  hope 
of  finally  making  their  peace  by  some  successful  raid. 
When  it  is  understood  that  the  Apaches  neither  sow  nor 
plant,  that  they  do  not  cultivate  the  ground,  that  they 
manufacture  nothing  except  their  arms,  that  they  de 
pend  altogether  upon  their  wars  for  plunder  as  a  means 
of  livelihood  with  the  exceptional  occasions  of  hunting, 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  217 

that  their  women  collect  all  the  mescal  for  food  and  in 
toxicating  drink,  that  they  dig  all  the  roots,  gather  all 
the  seeds,  and  make  them  into  food,  there  will  be  no 
difficulty  in  perceiving  that  the  women  are  their  real 
supporters. 

In  some  branches  of  the  great  tribe,  residing  on  the 
head-waters  of  the  Gila,  and  among  the  Mescaleros  and 
Jicarillas,  a  very  limited  amount  of  planting  is  done,  ex 
tending  mainly  to  maize,  pumpkins,  squashes  and  beans. 
Their  great  dependence  is  on  mescal,  the  roots  of  which 
.are  collected  in  quantity,  and  placed  in  a  large  hole  dug 
in  the  ground  and  highly  heated.  The  mescal  roots, 
being  deposited,  are  then  covered  with  green  leaves  and 
grass,  which  is  in  turn  overlaid  with  earth,  and  a  steady 
fire  kept  burning  on  top  for  a  whole  day.  After  allow 
ing  the  mass  to  remain  in  this  impromptu  oven  for  three 
days,  it  is  unearthed,  pared  and  eaten  with  great  zest. 
It  has  a  sweetish  taste,  not  unlike  the  beet;  but  it  is  not 
so  tender,  and  possesses  remarkable  anti-scorbutic  pro 
perties.  In  order  to  make  an  intoxicating  beverage  of 
the  mescal,  the  roasted  root  is  macerated  in  a  propor 
tionable  quantity  of  water,  which  is  allowed  to  stand 
several  days,  when  it  ferments  rapidly.  The  liquor  is 
boiled  down  and  produces  a  strongly  intoxicating  fluid. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Dangerous  Hunting  at  the  Bosque.— Dr.  McNulty's  Adventure.— Don  Carlos  and 
his  Indians. — Mr.  Descourtis'  Adventure. —  Nah-kah-yen  and  Nah-tanh. — 
Hunting  a  Lion.  —  The  Indian  and  the  Panther.  —  Combat  Between  a  Bear 
and  a  Lion. — The  Eesult. — Beavers. — Apache  Love  of  Torturing. — Gallant 
Indian.— A  Wounded  Apache  to  be  Dreaded. 

AMONG  the  Apaches  under  my  charge  were  a  number 
highly  renowned  as  hunters.  Those  men  seemed  to  pos 
sess  a  peculiar  sagacity  for  this  business,  and  whenever 
I  indulged  in  a  hunt  I  invariably  took  one  or  more  of 
them  with  me.  The  Pecos  for  twenty-five  miles  about 
the  Bosque  Redondo  is  fringed  for  a  half  mile  in  depth, 
on  both  sides,  with  gigantic  cotton-wood  trees,  or  rather 
it  was,  for  I  have  since  learned  that  they  were  nearly  all 
destroyed  in  furnishing  fuel  to  the  numerous  body  of 
Indians  collected  at  Fort  Sumner,  and  for  the  garrison 
at  that  place;  and  in  consequence  of  the  scarcity  now 
existing,  the  fort  and  Reservation  have  either  been  aban 
doned  by  this  time,  or  soon  will  be,  as  the  Indian  De 
partment  has  already  taken  steps  to  locate  the  Reserva 
tion  on  a  more  favorable  location. 

The  cotton-woods  and  the  dense  undergrowth  of 
shrubbery,  which  produced  many  kinds  of  wild  berries, 
and  large  fields  of  wild  sun-flowers,  abounding  with  nu- 
tricious  seeds,  render  the  Bosque  Kedondo  a  favorite 
abode  with  wild  turkeys,  which  existed  there  in  great 
numbers,  and  were  exceedingly  fat  and  fine  flavored. 
My  Apache  friends  kept  my  larder  lavishly  supplied 
with  turkeys,  grouse,  deer,  bear  and  antelope  hams, 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 


'219 


and  a  species  of  very  superior  turtle s  which  is  abundant 
in  that  part  of  the  Pecos  river.  I  have  had  as  many  as 
seven  live  wild  turkeys  in  my  corral  at  one  time,  and 
quite  as  many  dead  ones  dressed  and  hanging  up.  On 
public  days,  such  as  New  Year,  Christmas,  Fourth  of 
July,  and  sometimes  on  Sundays,  my  company  were  fully 
supplied  with  good  things  from  my  private  larder.  But 
hunting  was  somewhat  of  a  dangerous  pastime  in  that 
vicinity.  Prowling  bands  of  hostile  Apaches,  Navajoes 
and  Comanches  were  at  any  time  liable  to  be  met,  and 
it  was  safe  practice,  when  double-barreled  guns  were 
used,  to  place  a  dozen  well-fitting  balls  in  one's  pouch 
and  a  goodly  quantity  of  heavy  buck-shot.  Besides, 
what  are  known  as  Californian  lions,  were  very  plenti 
ful,  while  catamounts,  panthers,  grizzly  bears,  and  even 
jaguars  were  by  no  means  uncommon.  The  Apaches 
never  ventured  out  unless  in  sufficient  force  to  resist  an 
ordinary  attack,  until  they  had  resided  there  some  time 
and  had  made  themselves  perfect  masters  of  the  situa 
tion.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Comanches,  with  whom 
the  Bost[ue  Redondo  had  formerly  been  a  chosen  hunt 
ing  ground,  gradually  but  reluctantly  withdrew,  when 
they  found  out  that  the  Apaches  were  numerous  and 
would  be  protected  by  our  troops. 

Soon  after  our  first  arrival  at  that  spot — then  a  howl 
ing  wilderness,  ninety  miles  distant  from  the  nearest 
habitation — a  commission  of  engineers,  headed  by  Col. 
A.  L.  Anderson,  was  sent  down  to  the  Bosque,  for  the 
purpose  of  selecting  a  site  for  a  permanent  fort,  to  be 
called  Fort  Sunmer,  with  the  view  of  establishing  a  large 
Indian  Reservation  there,  and  erecting  a  valuable  ad 
vance  post  on  the  line  of  approach  from  Texas.  Among 
our  visitors  was  Dr.  J.  M.  McNulty,  then  Medical  Di 
rector  for  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  and  probably  the 


220  LIFE    AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

most  popular  officer  in  the  "Column  from  California." 
The  Doctor  and  myself  had  long  been  acquainted,  and  I 
was  proud  to  have  the  privilege  of  showing  him  some 
little  attention;  but  his  visit  came  near  being  attended 
with  fatal  results,  to  him  at  least.  When  we  left  Albu 
querque  for  the  Bosque  Redondo,  Gen.  Carleton  sup 
plied  us  with  five  semi-civilized  Indians  from  a  town 
about  eighteen  miles  distant  from  Santa  Fe,  the  name 
of  which  has  escaped  my  memory.  The  chief  of  the 
tribe  was  named  Don  Carlos,  a  man  about  fifty-five  years 
of  age — short,  thick-set  and  resolute.  He  had  visited 
"Washington,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  other  East 
ern  cities,  and  had  an  exalted  opinion  of  the  Ameri 
can  people.  Dr.  McNulty,  learning  that  wild  turkeys 
abounded  in  the  immediate  vicinity,  determined  to  go 
on  a  hunt  for  some  of  those  delicate  birds,  and  took  one 
of  Don  Carlos'  Indians  as  a  guide.  As  the  distance  to 
be  traveled  was  not  more  than  a  mile  and  a  half,  they 
waited  until  within  half  an  hour  of  sundown,  and  then 
repaired  to  the  roosting  place.  The  birds  were  fast 
gathering  upon  the  tree,  and  the  Doctor  determined  to 
wait  a  little  until  they  got  quiet,  when  he  perceived  that 
a  band  of  hostile  Indians  were  as  eagerly  watching  him 
as  he  the  turkeys.  His  guide  also  became  cognizant  of 
the  fact  about  the  same  time,  and  both  turned  their 
horses  to  recross  the  river  and  gain  our  side — for,  be  it 
known,  that  the  banks  of  the  Pecos  are  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  feet  perpendicular  descent,  and  that  cross 
ings  are  only  found  at  rare  intervals — and  the  Doctor, 
having  crossed,  was  compelled  to  seek  the  same  ford  for 
his  return.  The  Apaches,  for  they  were  of  that  tribe, 
perceiving  his  intention,  made  a  bold  and  concerted 
effort  to  cut  him  off,  but  the  Doctor  succeeded  in  foiling 
their  plan,  and  returned  safely  to  camp  much  faster 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  221 

than  he  had  gone.  His  ardor  to  obtain  wild  turkeys  of 
his  own  killing  at  the  Bosque  Redondo  was  considerably 
cooled  by  this  adventure. 

Another  more  serious,  but  very  laughable,  adventure 
occurred  on  a  turkey  hunt  a  few  days  afterward.  My 
First  Lieutenant,  Mr.  Descourtis,  was  exceedingly  fond 
of  the  chase,  and  he  joined  me  about  that  time,  after 
nearly  nine  months  absence  from  his  company,  in  obedi 
ence  to  very  strict  orders  from  Gen.  Carleton.  One  eve 
ning  he  determined  to  go  and  shoot  some  wild  turkeys, 
and  engaged  one  of  the  Indians  of  Don  Carlos.  About 
an  hour  after  their  departure  the  guide  came  back  howl 
ing  with  pain,  and  declared  that  Descourtis  had  shot 
him.  Upon  examination  it  was  found  that  his  posteriors 
were  fully  pitted  with  small  shot,  and  upon  the  return 
of  Mr.  Descourtis,  which  occurred  about  five  minutes 
later,  that  officer  stated  that  his  gun  had  gone  off  acci 
dentally  and  shot  the  Indian.  The  wounds  were  pain 
ful,  but  by  no  means  dangerous,  and  under  the  skillful 
treatment  of  Dr.  Gwyther,  Post  Surgeon,  were  healed  in 
a  few  days.  The  Indian  subsequently  said,  that  on  ar 
riving  at  the  ground  he  perceived  a  band  of  hostile 
Apaches  or  Navajoes,  and  warned  Mr.  Descourtis  of 
their  presence;  but  he  failed  to  discover  them.  The 
guide  then  told  him  that  he  would  not  risk  his  life  for 
a  turkey  or  two,  and  started  to  leave  him,  when  Mr.  Des 
courtis  became  enraged  and  shot  him.  I  cannot  pretend 
to  decide  between  the  two,  but  it  is  certain  that  Mr.  Des 
courtis  brought  back  no  turkeys,  and  the  Indian  fetched 
a  whole  load  of  shot  in  his  carcass,  and  both  came  home 
as  fast  as  their  horses  would  carry  them;  but  the  Indian's 
animal  having  received  a  liberal  supply  of  the  same  pel 
lets  in  his  rear,  came  much  the  quicker.  This  event 
greatly  disgusted  Don  Carlos  and  his  people,  and  it  was 


222  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

only  with  infinite  trouble,  during  the  time  that  the  guide 
was  under  surgical  treatment,  that  I  could  persuade 
the  old  man  to  remain  and  fulfill  his  contract.  None 
of  them  could  ever  be  induced  to  approach  Descourtis 
again. 

Among  the  Apaches  was  one  who  particularly  out 
shone  the  rest  in  the  chase.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
about  twenty-seven  years,  named  Nah-kah-yen,  or  the 
"Keen  Sighted/'  a  reputation  to  which  he  was  fully  en 
titled.  This  man's  knowledge  of  woodcraft,  and  the 
habits  of  animals,  was  really  wonderful.  He  could  not 
only  perceive  an  object  so  distant  as  to  be  almost  in 
visible,  but  could  distinguish  the  particular  species. 
Nah-kah-yen  was  of  medium  height,  well  formed  and  as 
active  as  a  panther.  He  was  a  sort  of  dandy  among 
them,  being  always  the  best  dressed,  and  paid  great  at 
tention  to  his  hair,  which  was  always  kept  well  combed 
and  oiled.  His  long  scalp  lock  was  an  especial  object 
of  attention,  and  highly  ornamented  with  small  silver 
plates,  made  into  little  round  shields — buttons,  beads, 
feathers  and  tinsel.  Another  of  my  most  trusted  favor 
ites  was  a  grim  old  warrior  named  Nah-tanh,  or  the 
"Corn  Flower,"  commonly  called  Chato  by  the  Mexi 
cans,  on  account  of  his  large  nose  which  had  been  broken 
and  flattened  by  the  kick  of  a  horse.  Nah-tanh  was  much 
esteemed  in  his  tribe,  both  as  a  warrior  and  judicious 
counselor.  He  was  about  forty  years  old,  weighed  about 
two  hundred  pounds;  broad  and  deep-chested,  very  pow 
erful  and  very  grave  —  scarcely  ever  deigning  to  smile. 
His  decision  in  reference  to  the  qualities  of  a  horse  or  a 
weapon  was  considered  final.  He  had  been  one  of  the 
most  dreaded  scourges  in  the  country,  but  having  sur 
rendered  he  professed  his  determination  to  abide  by  his 
promise,  and  during  the  whole  term  of  my  service  in 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  223 

New  Mexico  lie  kept  his  word  faithfully.  His  imper 
turbable  coolness  and  profound  sagacity,  especially  on  a 
bear  or  lion  hunt,  proved  very  serviceable. 

After  killing  an  animal  I  would  give  the  skin  to  the 
Apaches  to  have  it  dressed  for  me,  and  they  turned  me 
out  some  elegant  deer,  lion  and  beaver  skins,  softly 
dressed,  with  the  fur  perfectly  preserved.  Having  dis 
covered  the  tracks  of  a  very  large  lion  along  the  river- 
bottom,  I  summoned  Nah-kah-yen  and  Nah-tanh  to  ac 
company  me  on  the  hunt  for  his  majesty.  Both  were 
eager,  and  we  started  about  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  I  showed 
them  the  trail,  which  they  examined  carefully  for  a  few 
moments,  and  then  concluded  that  the  animal  had  a 
haunt  in  a  jungle  about  five  miles  below.  Without  pre 
tending  to  follow  up  the  tracks  we  struck  off  into  the 
clear  prairie,  and  went  down  stream  until  opposite  the 
jungle,  when  we  separated,  each  one  taking  a  side  of 
what  we  supposed  to  be  the  animal's  lair,  and  at  a  signal 
we  approached  together.  At  that  place  the  Pecos  is  about 
eight  feet  deep  for  a  couple  of  hundred  yards,  when  it 
shoals  again  to  one,  two  and  three  feet,  the  river  being 
much  wider.  The  jungle  was  neared  with  caution,  and 
it  being  about  midday,  there  was  good  reason  to  suppose 
that  the  lion  was  taking  his  rest  after  a  night's  rambles. 
One  large  cotton-wood  tree  flung  its  branches  out  wider 
than  the  rest,  while  its  top  overlooked  its  surrounding- 
comrades.  It  grew  on  the  very  bank  of  the  river,  and 
overhung  the  jungle.  Nah-tanh  dismounted  from  his 
horse,  which  was  left  free,  and  being  perfectly  broken, 
remained  quiet  where  he  was  left;  he  then  climbed  the 
tree  referred  to  and  crawled  out  on  a  large  limb,  until 
he  was  directly  over  the  water  and  could  get  a  fair  view 
of  the  supposed  lair. 

The  Californian  lion  and  the  panther  are  both  cow- 


224  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

ardly  animals,  and  will  rarely  stand  at  bay,  even  when 
wounded;  but  there  are  exceptional  cases,  and  some 
times  they  will  become  the  attacking  parties.  While 
Nah-tanh  was  endeavoring  to  penetrate  the  secrets  of 
the  thicket,  he  was  summoned  by  Nah-kah-yen  to  look 
out  for  himself,  and  gazing  in  the  direction  pointed  out, 
we  saw  a  large  panther  crouching  on  another  limb,  not 
more  than  fifteen  feet  from  Nah-tanh,  and  evidently  bent 
on  trying  titles  with  my  friend.  In  an  instant  Nah-kah- 
yen  raised  his  rifle  and  took  a  rapid  shot  at  the  beast, 
but  the  ball  only  inflicted  a  slight  flesh  wound  and  made 
him  hasten  his  motions,  for  in  another  moment  he  made 
his  spring  toward  Nah-tanh.  That  wary  Apache  was 
not  to  be  so  easily  caught,  for  the  instant  that  the  pan 
ther  left  the  limb  on  which  he  had  been  crouching  Nah- 
tanh  dropped  from  his  into  the  water  some  thirty  feet, 
and  disappeared  under  the  surface,  nor  did  he  rise  again 
until  he  had  reached  the  friendly  shelter  of  the  bank, 
out  of  his  enemy's  sight.  The  panther  landed  on  the 
spot  so  suddenly  vacated,  and  gazed  anxiously  down  into 
the  depths  below,  cracking  his  tail  against  his  sides  and 
clawing  great  pieces  of  the  bark  from  the  limb.  By 
this  time  Nah-kah-yen  had  reloaded,  and  I  had  come  up 
with  my  breech-loading  carbine  and  two  heavy  Colt's 
revolvers.  We  both  took  good  aim  and  brought  the 
beast  from  his  high  perch.  We  soon  hauled  his  carcass 
to  land  and  stripped  him  of  his  hide.  It  was  an  enor 
mous  specimen,  measuring  nearly  seven  feet  from  the  tip 
of  his  tail  to  the  end  of  his  nose.  I  brought  his  skin  to 
California  with  me  as  a  souvenir  of  the  occurrence,  and 
subsequently  made  it  a  present  to  Philip  Martinetti. 
When  Nah-tanh  surveyed  the  lifeless  body  of  his  late 
antagonist,  he  smiled  grimly  and  said:  "  Tagoon-ya-dah; 
shis  Inday  to-dah  ishan ;"  which  means — "Fool;  an 
Apache  is  no  food  for  you." 


LIFE  AMONG   THE  APACHES.  225 

"We  were  about  to  return  home,  when  our  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  terrible  noise  in  a  rocky  cation,  about 
four  hundred  yards  lower  down  the  river.  Hastily  re 
mounting,  we  galloped  to  the  place,  and  after  having 
dismounted,  approached  the  canon  with  caution.  Sud 
denly  we  came  upon  a  very  exciting  and  interesting 
scene.  A  very  large  lion,  probably  the  one  of  which  we 
were  in  pursuit,  was  engaged  in  deadly  conflict  with  a 
well-developed  brown  bear.  The  lion  was  crouched 
down  about  twelve  feet  from  bruin,  and  the  bear  was 
standing  erect  on  his  hind  legs,  his  forearms  protruded, 
and  his  back  against  a  large  rock.  His  cries  were  pierc 
ing,  and  to  them  we  owed  the  pleasure  of  being  present 
at  the  combat,  which  quickly  began.  The  lion  watched 
his  adversary  with  intense  gaze,  his  long  and  sinewy  tail 
working  and  twisting  like  a  large  wounded  serpent.  His 
formidable  claws  occasionally  grappled  the  rocks  and 
gravel,  and  every  now  and  then  he  would  exhibit  his 
terrible  teeth  and  utter  a  low  but  significant  growl. 
Having  reached  the  sticking  point,  the  lion  leaped  for 
ward  with  a  fearful  rush  and  grappled  the  bear.  Then 
commenced  the  most  frightful  cries  from  both — fur,  dust 
and  blood  flew  from  each  combatant  in  quantities;  biting, 
tearing  and  hugging  were  indulged  without  stint.  After 
about  two  minutes  of  this  terrific  strife,  the  lion  sud 
denly  released  himself  and  sprang  away.  Each  animal 
then  commenced  to  lick  its  wounds,  the  lion  having  re- 
occupied  his  former  position  in  front  of  the  bear,  and 
evidently  bent  on  "  fighting  it  out  on  that  line  if  it  took 
all  summer."  The  bear  was  decidedly  anxious  to  get 
away,  but  did  not  dare  turn  his  back  on  his  more  agile 
adversary.  After  some  ten  minutes  spent  in  licking 
their  wounds  and  repairing  damages,  the  lion  reassumed 
the  offensive,  and  the  bear  again  placed  himself  on  the 


226  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

defensive.  The  same  scene  was  repeated,  but  this  time 
the  lion  had  succeeded  in  tearing  open  the  bear's  back 
and  drawing  his  vitals  through  the  gap.  The  bear  fell 
dead,  and  the  lion  hauled  off  once  more  to  lick  his 
wounds.  Having  taken  breath,  he  leisurely  proceeded 
to  haul  the  bear's  carcass  down  into  the  canon  and  bury 
it  with  leaves,  sand  and  other  debris.  Just  then  I  heard 
the  crack  of  a  rifle,  and  the  late  conqueror  tumbled  over 
on  his  side  dead,  beside  the  body  of  his  late  foe,  having 
received  a  rifle  ball  just  back  of  the  ear  from  the  weapon 
of  Nah-tanh,  who  had  by  no  means  forgotten  his  own 
recent  encounter.  This  beast  measured  seven  feet  seven 
inches  and  a  half  from  the  end  of  his  nose  to  the  tip  of 
his  tail.  His  skin  I  also  preserved,  and  afterward  pre 
sented  it  to  Major  (now  General)  H.  D.  Whalen,  then 
commanding  Fort  Sumner,  As  we  had  more  than  we 
could  carry,  Nah-kah-yen  was  dispatched  to  the  Apache 
camp  to  bring  some  pack  horses,  and  squaws  to  cut  up 
the  meat  and  take  it  to  camp,  for  the  Apaches  are  rather 
fond  of  lion  and  panther  meat,  but  seldom  touch  that  of 
the  bear.  This  was  sport  enough  for  one  day,  and  after 
discovering  a  couple  of  fine  turkey  roosts,  we  returned 
home,  quite  elated  with  the  result  of  our  hunt. 

Beavers  were  quite  plentiful  on  the  Pecos,  about  Fort 
Sumner,  and  we  used  to  enjoy  shooting  them  on  fine 
moonlight  nights.  The  Apaches  have  a  great  regard  for 
the  beaver,  which  they  aver  to  be  by  far  the  most  saga 
cious  and  intelligent  of  animals.  The  Pecos  beavers  are 
very  large,  and  in  midwinter  have  an  unusually  thick, 
heavy  and  soft  fur.  Their  tails,  roasted  in  ashes,  make 
a  capital  dish,  and  are  much  esteemed,  but  rather  too  fat 
and  musky  for  most  stomachs.  The  Apaches  brought 
me  quite  a  number  of  young  ones,  about  a  week  old,  but 
milk  was  difficult  to  obtain,  and  I  only  succeeded  in 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  227 

raising  one  until  it  got  to  be  three  months  old  and  able 
to  care  for  itself,  when  I  released  the  poor  thing  by  re 
turning  it  to  its  tribe.  It  had  become  quite  a  pet,  and 
would  perform  several  little  tricks  with  ease.  As  it  was 
brought  up  among  human  beings,  it  possessed  none  of 
the  native  fear  of  man  which  is  so  strongly  characteristic 
of  its  race,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  poor  little 
f ellow"subsequently  fell  a  victim  to  misplaced  confidence, 
although  I  carried  it  six  miles  below  camp,  where  there 
was  a  large  beaver  dam,  before  restoring  it  to  freedom. 
The  quality  of  mercy  is  unknown  among  the  Apaches. 
They  frequently  take  birds  and  animals  alive,  but  invari 
ably  give  them  to  their  children  to  torture.  A  warrior 
is  seized  with  delight  when  his  son  exhibits  superior  skill 
in  this  way.  He  looks  on  approvingly  and  makes  occa 
sional  suggestions  to  the  aspiring  youth.  The  squaws 
are  especially  pleased  with  the  precociousness  of  their 
children  in  the  art  of  torturing.  Even  their  horses  are 
not  spared,  and  their  dogs  may  truly  be  said  to  lead 
c  'dogs'  lives."  What  we  call  chivalry  is  also  unknown  to 
the  Apache,  who  regards  it  as  sheer  folly  and  useless 
risk  of  life;  yet  there  are  instances  of  self-sacrifice  and 
heroic  devotion  which  would  be  second  to  none  recorded 
in  history,  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  in  each  case  the 
hero  was  mortally  wounded  before  he  displayed  remark- 
_able  bravery  for  the  safety  of  others.  A  .badly  wounded 
Indian  is  much  more  dangerous  than  one  who  is  not. 
Feeling  that  he  cannot  escape,  his  first  object  is  to  kill 
as  many  of  his  foes  as  possible,  and  protect  his  own 
people  to  the  last  gasp.  I  have  seen  a  single  Apache, 
stationed  at  the  narrow  entrance  to  a  defile,  receive  four 
carbine  balls  through  the  breast  before  he  sank  on  his 
knees,  and  every  time  the  cavalry  charged  that  man 
would  keep  back  the  horses  by  .dashing  a  red  blanket  in 


228  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

their  faces.  By  this  heroism  and  wonderful  tenacity  of 
life  he  saved  some  sixty  or  seventy  of  his  people,  who 
gained  time  to  retreat  amidst  inaccessible  rocks.  He 
was  only  finished  by  receiving  a  pistol  ball  through  the 
brain,  and  continued  fighting,  single-handed,  until  fin 
ally  dispatched.  His  bow  and  quiver  of  arrows  are  now 
in  the  rooms  of  the  California  Pioneers. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


Anecdote  of  Capt.  Bristol.— Surprise  and  Admiration  of  the  Indians.— They  Vote 
Him  a  Great  Medicine.— Wonders  of  the  Microscope.— Their  Modes  of 
Hunting.— Departure  of  Ojo  Blanco.— Apache  Dread  of  Disease.— The 
Influenza.— Apache  Prophet.— His  Dream  and  Interpretation.— My  Coun 
ter  Dream  and  Interpretation. — Usefiil  Services  of  Dr.  Gwyther. — Faith 
fulness  of  Gian-nah-tah.— Necessity  of  Using  Artifice. 


AMONG  the  many  unique  incidents  which  occurred  at 
Fort  Sumner  may  be  mentioned  one,  which  had  a  great 
effect  among  the  Indians  gathered  at  that  place.  The 
Navajoes,  who  had  become  captives  to  the  "pioneers" 
of  the  Column  from  California,  numbered  over  nine 
thousand,  including  well  known  chiefs  and  distin 
guished  warriors,  women  and  children.  The  Apaches 
proper,  who  were  in  like  condition,  amounted  to  nearly 
fifteen  hundred.  This  disparity  is  sufficient  to  prove  the 
superior  warlike  character  of  the  latter  tribe;  their  in 
vincible  determination  to  "fight  it  out  on  that  line/3  and 
their  utter  intractability.  Capt.  H.  B.  Bristol,  Fifth 
United  States  Infantry,  was  one  of  those  genial,  kind- 
hearted  and  educated  gentlemen  who  have  the  happy 
faculty  of  attaching  all  within  the  sphere  of  their  ac 
quaintance.  A  strict  disciplinarian,  and  imbued  with  a 
deep-seated  love  for  his  profession,  he  possessed  the  tact 
of  gaining  the  affections  and  confidence  of  his  men,  as 
well  as  their  implicit  obedience  to  order.  The  suaviter  in 
modo  etfortiter  in  re,  for  which  he  became  distinguished 
in  the  command,  gradually  spread  its  influence  among 
the  Indians,  who  are  ever  ready  to  appreciate  and  recog- 
11 


230  LIFE  AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

nize  those  characteristics  which  influence  other  men.  In 
a  short  time  his  cabin  became  a  popular  resort  among 
the  nomads,  who  were  delighted  with  his  generosity, 
while  he  experienced  a  pleasure  in  studying  their  vari 
ous  attributes.  Capt.  Bristol  frequently  amused  his 
friends  by  sticking  pins  and  needles  in  various  parts  of 
his  person,  driving  them  in  full  length  without  appear 
ing  to  suffer  a  particle  of  inconvenience.  One  afternoon, 
while  his  cabin  was  full  of  savages,  he  proceeded  to  peg 
his  pantaloons  fast  to  his  thighs  with  pins,  until  an  hun 
dred  or  more  were  imbedded  in  his  flesh,  without  draw 
ing  blood,  or  provoking  any  evidence  of  distress.  The 
Apaches  and  Navajoes  were  filled  with  surprise  and  ad 
miration,  while  the  officers  present  pretended  to  be  af 
flicted  with  anxiety.  Having  succeeded  so  far,  Bristol 
deliberately  opened  his  penknife,  and  thrust  the  blade 
alongside  of  the  pins.  He  then  invited  the  Indians  to 
plunge  their  knives  into  his  body,  assuring  them  that  it 
could  do  him  no  harm.  This  last  coup  de  jonglerie  com 
pletely  upset  all  their  doubts,  and  with  one  accord,  they 
voted  him  to  be  a  "great  medicine."  From  that  date 
his  influence  was  very  considerable,  as  they  believed  that 
he  could  not  l?e  slain  by  ordinary  means.  All  this  was 
done  without  ostentation,  and  in  a  purely  natural  man 
ner.  No  attempt  was  made  to  impress  the  savage  visi 
tors  with  an  idea  of  superiority,  and  they  accorded  their 
full  homage  and  respect  to  the  act.  Had  they  been  led 
to  understand  that  some  extraordinary  ability  of  the 
white  man  was  to  be  exhibited;  had  they  been  told  that 
something  was  to  be  done  in  the  "medicine"  line  excel 
ling  what  they  could  do,  they  would  have  regarded  the 
affair  with  distrust,  suspicion  and  aversion;  but  it  was 
so  impromptu  and  unaffected  that  their  confidence  was 
won,  and  their  belief  fixed. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  231 

Quite  a  number  of  other  innocent  devices  were  re 
sorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  quietly  infiltrating  the 
Apache  mind  with  a  sense  of  our  superiority,  but  always 
most  carefully  guarding  against  any  appearance  of  seek 
ing  to  contrast  American  attainment  with  savage  igno 
rance.  Their  bigotry  and  self-conceit  could  not  be 
rudely  assailed  without  exciting  their  natural  distrust 
and  alarm.  They  were  ready  to  perceive  a  "nigger  in 
every  fence,"  and  were  ever  on  the  alert  to  detect  the 
slightest  approximation  to  deceit,  or  effort  to  mislead  by 
the  assumption  of  higher  intelligence.  A  person  once 
discovered  in  the  attempt  to  make  them  believe  that  in 
which  he  himself  had  no  faith,  is  immediately  and  for 
ever  tabooed.  No  subsequent  acts  or  promises  of  iiis 
could  restore  their  confidence.  It  was  after  I  had  ac 
quired  a  very  fair  knowledge  of  their  language  that  these 
traits  became  fully  apparent,  and  I  made  it  my  study  to 
conduct  myself  in  such  a  manner  as  to  allay  all  doubts. 

I  possessed  a  very  good  microscope,  which  I  had  pur 
chased  from  a  French  priest,  and  also  an  excellent  sun 
dial,  with  several  other  instruments,  such  as  burning- 
glass,  field-glass,  compass,  several  maps  of  New  Mexico, 
etc.  The  anxiety  to  show  the  wonders  of  these  instru 
ments  to  my  untutored  visitors  was  very  great,  but  I  felt 
the  imprudence  of  so  doing  until  occasion  could  serve, 
when  it  would  appear  the  result  of  their  application,  and 
not  of  my  ostentation. 

One  day,  while  receiving  instruction  from  Juan  Cojo, 
my  preceptor  in  the  Apache  language,  I  suddenly  pre 
tended  that  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  examine  a  minute 
object  whose  conformation  was  somewhat  indistinguish 
able  to  the  naked  eye.  Juan  watched  me  with  intense 
interest  as  I  uncased  the  microscope  and  placed  beneath 
its  focus  the  body  of  a  common  flea.  I  was  careful  not 


232  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

to  ask  him  to  view  the  object,  feeling  convinced  that  his 
own  curiosity  would  induce  him  to  make  the  request. 
After  I  had  gazed  attentively  for  a  few  seconds,  Juan 
asked  what  I  was  looking  at,  and  I  told  him  that  I  had 
an  instrument  which  made  a  flea  look  as  large  as  a  mule 
and  showed  me  his  whole  conformation.  He  immedi 
ately  expressed  a  desire  to  see  this  monster,  and  after 
being  accorded  a  good,  long  look,  he  exclaimed :  ' '  Madre 
de  DIGS,  que  cosa  tan  hororosa!" — which  means,  mother 
of  God,  what  a  horrible  thing.  In  this  manner  we  went 
through  half  a  dozen  objects,  each  of  which  elicited  ex 
pressions  of  unbounded  surprise  from  Juan,  who  com 
menced  to  regard  me  as  a  magician  of  power  and  influ 
ence.  In  this  way  the  train  was  laid  for  further  confi 
dence  on  the  part  of  the  savages,  to  whom  Juan  related 
the  whole  affair,  because  I  had  never  employed  such 
means  to  assert  claims  to  their  respect,  and  had  appar 
ently  striven  to  keep  my  possession  of  them  from  their 
knowledge.  They  seemed  to  have  got  their  information 
by  accident,  and  I  allowed  them  to  press  me  frequently 
before  I  yielded  to  their  request  for  a  look  through  the 
wonderful  instrument  of  which  they  had  heard  from 
Juan.  Their  admiration  was  also  excited  by  the  burn 
ing-glass,  field-glass,  etc. ;  and  when  I  took  out  the  maps 
and  explained  to  them  all  about  portions  of  the  country 
which  they  knew  well,  but  I  had  never  visited,  they  be 
gan  to  think  that  nothing  was  hidden  from  our  knowl 
edge  if  we  only  took  the  pains  to  consult  our  magical 
instruments. 

During  all  the  time  of  our  intimate  relations,  I  was  as 
great  an  inquirer  into  their  funds  of  information  as  they 
were  into  that  which  I  possessed.  I  was  regularly  in 
ducted  into  their  modes  of  hunting,  and  taught  where 
and  when  the  desired  game  might  be  expected.  The  art 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  233 

of  tracking  was  also  sedulously  shown  me,  but  this  re 
quires  very  long  and  constant  practice.  Their  code  of 
signals  by  smokes,  stones,  broken  branches,  etc.,  was 
explained  with  apparent  delight,  in  the  conviction  that 
the  white  man  could  learn  something  from  them. 

The  force  at  Fort  Sumner  was  so  ludicrously  small,  in 
comparison  with  the  number  of  Indians  to  be  controlled 
and  guarded,  that  I  am  convinced  the  savages  would 
never  have  remained  so  long  as  they  did  had  it  not  been 
for  the  extreme  vigilance  employed,  and  the  peculiar 
policy  adopted.  .  In  fact,  within  six  months  after  my  de 
parture,  Ojo  Blanco,  a  famous  Apache,  took  French 
leave  of  Fort  Sumner,  after  having  induced  a  goodly 
number  of  others  to  keep  him  company,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  nearly  all  the  rest  of  his  tribe  followed  the 
example. 

Nothing  can  induce  the  Apaches  to  remain  an  hour  in 
the  place  where  one  of  them  has  died  from  disease,  and 
they  give  a  wide  berth  to  all  localities  where  Apaches 
have  been  "known  to  give  up  the  ghost  from  any  cause. 

The  nearest  town  was  Anton  Chico,  nearly  ninety 
miles  distant,  and  there  were  quite  a  number  of  well- 
known  villages  ranging  from  one  hundred  to  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  miles  northwest,  west  and  southwest 
from  the  fort.  The  influenza  was  raging  in  the  settle 
ments,  and  had  become  epidemic.  A  great  many  chil 
dren  and  quite  a  number  of  adults  in  the  Mexican  towns 
fell  victims  to  the  disease,  which  had  assumed  a  malig 
nant  type.  It  soon  made  its  appearance  among  the 
Apaches,  but  Dr.  Gwyther,  assisted  by  myself  as  inter 
preter,  was  unremitting  in  his  attention,  and  by  timely 
and  judicious  efforts,  prevented  the  disease  from  being 
fatal  in  a  single  case,  although  nearly  all  were  more  or 
less  affected.  A  wily  and  rascally  old  Apache,  who  had 


234  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

wielded  great  influence  among  them  as  a  medicine  man, 
seized  upon  the  occasion  to  sow  disaffection  and  discon 
tent.  He  upbraided  them  for  their  servile  obedience  to 
the  whites,  covered  them  with  reproach  for  having 
yielded  their  absolute  independence,  and  taunted  them 
in  every  conceivable  way.  These  things  were  told  me  by 
Gian-nah-tah,  Nah-tanh,  Natch-in-ilk-kisn,  and  Nah-kah- 
yen,  but  the  fact  of  their  telling  me  was  sufficient  to 
prove  that  the  prophet  was  not  to  be  feared,  and  I  coun 
seled  them  to  keep  quiet  and  let  me  know  all  that  passed, 
but  on  no  account  to  acquaint  their  comrades  with  the 
secret  of  their  having  told  me  anything  about  such  pro 
ceedings,  v^ 
One  day  Gian-nah-tah  stated  that  the  prophet  had  held 
a  great  gathering  the  evening  before,  at  which  he  had  ex 
plained  a  vision.  The  time  selected  was  about  midnight. 
The  Apaches  sat  in  a  dense  circle,  in  the  center  of  which 
stood  the  prophet  dressed  in  the  savage  decorations  of 
his  sacred  office.  His  eager  auditors  were  informed  that 
he  had  been  blessed  with  a  vision  in  whicn  he  saw  a 
black  cloud  about  the  size  of  his  blanket.  The  cloud 
rose  gradually  from  the  west  and  increased  as  it  rose  in 
darkness  and  magnitude,  until  it  covered  a  large  space. 
Its  course  was  directed  toward  the  Apache  camp,  over 
which  it  hovered  and  then  descended  until  the  camp  was 
completely  enveloped  within  its  Cimmerian  folds.  The 
interpretation  of  this  vision  was  that  the  black  cloud 
represented  the  anger  of  the  Great  Spirit,  and  that  he 
had  sent  it  among  the  Apaches  to  slay  them  with  disease 
for  having  remained  captive  to  the  Americans.  He 
threatened  that  if  they  did  not  all  leave  at  the  earliest 
possible  opportunity,  not  one  would  be  saved  from  the 
anger  of  the  Great  Spirit.  It  may  well  be  supposed 
that  such  an  announcement  from  their  most  noted  med- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  235 

icine  man  at  a  time  when  a  terrific  epidemic  was  raging, 
would  have  an  immense  influence  among  those  savage 
and  extremely  superstitious  people. 

My  determination  what  to  do  was  immediately  taken, 
and  without  intimating  to  Gian-nah-tah  what  my  inten 
tion  was,  I  bade  him  convoke  the  whole  camp  on  the 
following  night,  as  near  midnight  as  possible.  The 
moon  was  very  brilliant,  and  the  air  clear  and  perfectly 
still.  I  placed  a  couple  of  six-shooters  and  my  knife  in 
my  belt,  and  cutting  a  hole  for  my  head  in  the  center  of 
a  sheet,  invested  myself  with  that  article  as  if  it  were  a 
toga.  When  the  Apaches  were  all  assembled,  and  won 
dering  why  they  were  got  together,  I  suddenly  made  my 
appearance  among  them,  and  taking  position  in  the  cen 
ter,  addressed  them  to  the  following  effect.  I  told  them 
that  I  had  been  favored  with  a  vision,  full  of  importance 
to  them,  and  as  they  had  appointed  me  their  "  Tata/'  or 
Governor,  it  had  been  imparted  to  me  for  their  benefit. 
I  said  that  two  nights  previous  their  prophet  had  seen  a 
black  cloud,  which  grew  larger  and  blacker  as  it  ap 
proached  the  Apache  camp,  over  which  it  settled  until 
it  was  concealed  from  sight;  but  that  a  lying  spirit  had 
been  put  into  his  mouth,  and  the  true  meaning  of  the 
vision  had  been  withheld  from  his  knowledge.  In  my 
capacity  as  their  Tata,  it  had  been  revealed  to  me,  with 
directions  to  impart  it  to  the  tribe. 

They  knew,  I  added,  that  the  Angel  of  Death  had  been 
very  busy  among  the  Mexican  towns  and  villages,  cut 
ting  off  the  men*  women  and  children,  and  sparing 
neither  age  nor  condition.  But  who  among  you,  said  I, 
have  died  ?  Where  is  the  wife  that  mourns  for  her  hus 
band,  or  the  mother  for  the  child,  or  the  warrior  for 
those  that  are  dear  to  him  ?  Not  one  of  your  number  is 
missing,  and  all  of  you  are  now  well  or  nearly  well  from 
the  attacks  of  this  infirmity  which  has  killed  so  many. 


236  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Now,  the  true  rendering  of  the  vision  is  this :  The  Great 
Spirit  has  seen  with  satisfaction  that  you  have  kept  your 
promise,  that  you  no  longer  exist  by  robbery,  that  you 
do  not  murder  the  incautious  traveler,  that  you  live  here 
happily  and  well  supplied  with  every  comfort,  and  are 
cared  for  by  skillful  medicine  men  when  you  are  sick; 
and  in  reward  for  your  excellent  conduct,  the  Good 
Spirit  said — I  have  sent  the  Angel  of  Death  abroad  in 
the  land  and  he  knows  nothing  but  to  destroy,  for  that 
is  his  mission.  My  Apache  people  have  done  well  and 
must  be  preserved,  and  to  shield  them  from  the  vision 
of  the  Destroying  Angel,  I  will  wrap  them  in  a  dark 
cloud  which  his  eyes  cannot  penetrate;  then  will  he  pass 
them  by,  and  they  shall  live  because  they  have  kept  their 
promise  to  the  Americans.  This,  I  added,  is  the  true 
rendering  of  the  vision  seen  by  your  prophet,  and  I  am 
come  here  to  tell  you,  in  order  that  his  evil  counsel  may 
not  prevail  and  lead  you  to  destruction. 

The  reader  can  conjecture  the  rage  of  the  prophet  and 
the  profound  astonishment  of  the  whole  tribe,  except 
Giaii-nah-tah.  No  one  but  he  knew  that  I  possessed  any 
information  on  the  subject,  and,  of  course,  not  a  soul, 
the  prophet  included,  doubted  the  reality  of  what  I  had 
said.  The  contemplated  hegira  came  to  a  sudden  end; 
the  Apaches  returned  to  their  allegiance  with  more  will 
ingness  than  before,  and  our  intercourse  became  more 
harmonious  than  ever.  For  my  part,  I  was  far  better 
satisfied  with  the  result  than  if  we  had  been  compelled 
to  use  force  and  slay  a  hundred  or  two  of  the  savages 
before  again  impressing  them  with  the  necessity  for  obe 
dience.  The  prophet  lost  his  influence,  while  we  gained 
in  proportion. 

The  foregoing  incident  conveys  its  own  moral,  and 
shows  the  virtue  of  using  artifice  instead  of  force,  when 
artifice  has  to  be  met. 


CHAPTER    XX. 


The  Apache  Language. — Its  Kemarkable  Regularity  and  Copicmsness. — Examples 
Given.— Reflections.— How  Apaches  are  Named. —Apache  Beauties.— Dis 
inclination  to  tell  their  Apache  Names. 


ELSEWHERE  it  has  been  stated  that  my  vocabulary  of 
the  Apache  language  had  been  forwarded  to  the  Smith 
sonian  Institute  through  Gen.  Carleton,  and  that  it  had 
been  handed  to  Professor  George  Gibbs  for  the  purpose 
of  being  incorporated  in  his  forthcoming  work  on  Eth 
nology.  As  it  was  the  only  copy  in  my  possession,  I 
am  compelled  to  rely  solely  on  memory  for  the  very  un 
satisfactory  skeleton  I  am  able  to  offer  in  this  chapter. 
It  will,  however,  serve  to  convince  the  reader  of  the  su 
perior  intelligence  of  the  Apache  Indians  as  compared 
with  nearly  all  other  tribes  of  American  savages,  while  it 
places  them  at  the  head  of  races  purely  nomadic. 

Many  of  the  African,  Australian,  North  and  South 
American  tribes,  and  those  who  inhabit  the  Pacific  Oce- 
anica,  together  with  several  of  Asia,  cannot  count  beyond 
ten,  but  the  Apaches  count  ten  thousand  with  as  much 
regularity  as  we  do.  They  even  make  use  of  the  decimal 
sequences.  With  us  the  number  one  has  no  correlative. 
It  is  unique  in  expression  as  well  as  in  meaning,  but 
when  we  come  to  two,  we  say  two,  twelve,  twenty,  two 
hundred;  with  the  numeral  three  for  a  starter,  we  say 
thirteen,  thirty,  three  hundred;  and  again,  four,  four 
teen,  forty,  four  hundred,  and  so  on  up  to  ten,  when  the 
process  is  repeated  by  referring  to  the  same  root  numeral 
11* 


238  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

from  which,  the  higher  number  derives  its  name.  In  like 
manner  the  Apaches  use  a  unique  word  to  express  one, 
and  another  to  mention  eleven;  but  all  the  rest  are  de 
rived  from  the  root  name  of  the  numbers  between  one 
and  ten.  This  will  be  seen  from  the  subjoined  table  of 
their  numerals:  One  is  called  lash-ay-ay ;  two,  nah-kee; 
three,  Tcah-yay;  four,  twi-yay;  five,  asht-lay;  six,  host-kon- 
ay;  seven,  host-ee-day;  eight,  hah-pee;  nine,  en-gost-ay; 
ten,  go-nay-nan-ay.  But  on  arriving  at  eleven  they  use 
an  entirely  different  word,  and  say  klats-ah-tah-hay ,  which 
never  occurs  again,  either  in  part  or  in  whole,  until  they 
reach  eleven  hundred,  which  is  klats-at-too-ooh.  When 
twelve  is  to  be  expressed  recourse  is  had  to  the  nah-kee, 
or  two,  which  is  then  enlarged  into  nah-kee-sah-tah.  In 
like  manner  thirteen  is  derived  from  kah-yay,  three,  and 
becomes  kah-yay-sah-tah.  After  ten  until  twenty  their 
numbers  are  named  as  follows:  Eleven,  klats-ah-tah-hay; 
twelve,  nah-kee-sah-tah;  thirteen,  kah-yay-sah-tah;  four 
teen,  tin-sah-tah-hay ;  fifteen,  asht-lay-sah-tah-hay ;  sixteen, 
host-kon-sah-lah-hay ;  seventeen,  host-ee-sah-tah-hay ;  eigh 
teen,  sam-pee-sah-tah-hay ;  nineteen,  en-gost-ee-sah-lah-hay ; 
twenty,  nah-tin-yay.  It  will  be  observed  that  after  four 
teen  the  aspirated  syllable  hay  is  added,  and  this  is  for 
the  sake  of  euphony,  as  well  as  the  change  from  hah-pee, 
eight,  to  sam-pee  in  eighteen.  It  will  also  be  observed 
that  nah-tin-yay,  twenty,  receives  its  derivation,  like  nah- 
kee-sah-tah,  twelve,  from  nah-kee,  two ;  and  this  is  regu 
larly  observed  in  the  following  numbers:  For  instance, 
thirty  is  called  kah-tin-yay;  forty,  tish-tin-yay ;  fifty,  asht- 
tin-yay;  sixty,  host-kon-tin-yay;  seventy,  host-ee-tin-yay ; 
eighty,  sam-pee-tin-yay ;  ninety,  en-gost-ee-tin-yay;  one 
hundred,  too-ooh,  after  which  comes  nah-kee-too-ooh,  two 
hundred;  kah-y  ay -too-ooh,  three  hundred,  etc.,  until  one 
thousand,  which  is  expressed  by  go-nay-nan-too-ooh,  or 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  239 

ten  hundred;  two  thousand  is  termed  nah-Jcee-go-nay- 
nan-too-ooh,  etc. 

Here  we  have  evidence  sufficient  to  prove  that  the 
Apaches  must  have  possessed  objects  of  sufficient  im 
portance  and  numbers  to  have  compelled  the  creation  of 
terms  by  which  the  number  could  be  indicated.  In  the 
absence  of  any  other  object  furnished  by  the  region  they 
inhabit,  it  is  fairly  presumable  that  the  numerical  strength 
of  their  race  was  the  impelling  cause. 

Their  verbs  express  the  past,  present  and  future  with 
much  regularity,  and  have  the  infinitive,  indicative,  sub 
junctive  and  imperative  moods,  together  with  the  first, 
second  and  third  persons,  and  the  singular,  dual  and 
plural  numbers.  Many  of  them  are  very  irregular,  and 
depend  upon  auxiliaries  which  are  few.  In  all  that  re 
lates  to  special  individuality  the  language  is  exacting; 
thus,  shee  means  I  or  me;  but  shee-dah  means  I  myself, 
or  me  myself;  dee  means  thee  or  thou;  but  dee-dah  means 
you  yourself  especially  and  personally,  without  reference 
to  any  other  being.  When  an  Apache  is  relating  his 
own  personal  adventures  he  never  says  shee,  for  I,  be 
cause  that  word,  in  some  sense,  includes  all  who  were 
present  and  took  any  part  in  the  affair;  but  he  uses  the 
word  shee-dah,  to  show  that  the  act  was  wholly  his  own. 
The  pronouns  are:  Shee — I;  shee-dah — I  myself;  dee — 
thee  or  thou;  dee-dah — thee  thyself;  -aghan — it,  he,  her, 
or  they.  The  word  to-dah  means  no,  and  all  their  affirm 
atives  are  negatived  by  dividing  this  word  so  as  to  place 
the  first  syllable  in  front  and  the  second  in  the  rear  of 
the  verb  to  be  negatived.  For  example,  inlc-tah  means 
sit  down,  but  to  say,  do  not  sit  down,  we  must  express  it 
to-ink-tah-dah;  nuest-chee-shee ,  come  here;  to-nuest-chee- 
shee-dah,  do  not  come  here;  anah-zont-tee,  begone;  to- 
anah-zont-iee-dah,  do  not  begone,  and  so  on  throughout 
the  language. 


240  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

The  word  tats-an  means  dead  in  Apache;  "but  they  never 
employ  it  when  speaking  of  a  dead  friend,  but  say  of  him 
that  he  is  yah-ik-tee,  which  means  that  he  is  not  present — 
that  he  is  wanting.  If  one  goes  to  an  Apache's  camp, 
and  inquires  for  him  during  his  absence,  the  visitor  is 
answered  that  he  is  yah-ik-tee,  or  gone  somewhere.  This 
usage,  while  speaking  of  their  deceased  friends,  is  not  so 
much  due  to  delicacy  and  regret  for  their  loss  as  to  their 
superstitious  fears  of  the  dead,  for  they  entertain  an  im 
plicit  belief  in  ghosts  and  spirits,  although  I  could  never 
trace  the  causes  for  their  credence.  In  alluding  to  an 
animal  destroyed  in  the  chase,  so  soon  as  the  mortal  blow 
is  given  they  exclaim,  yah-tats-an,  now  it  is  dead;  but  if 
it  should  only  be  wounded,  and  rise  again,  it  is  said,  to- 
tats-an-see-dah,  it  is  not  dead. 

Whenever  an  object  is  shown  them  for  the  first  time, 
they  adopt  its  Spanish  name  which  is  made  to  terminate 
with  their  favorite  guttural,  hay.  Formerly  they  knew 
no  difference  between  the  values  or  qualities  of  iron, 
silver,  copper,  brass  or  gold.  Their  name  for  iron  is 
pesh,  and  the  several  metals  were  distinguished  by  their 
colors.  Silver  was  called  pesh-lickoyee,  or  white  iron; 
gold,  pesh-klitso,  or  yellow  iron;  bat  after  learning  the 
difference  in  their  values  and  uses,  they  adopted  the 
Spanish  terms,  and  silver  became plata-hay,  gold  changed 
to  oro-hay,  and  brass  was  suffered  to  retain  the  appella 
tion  of  pesh-klitso ,  or  yellow  iron. 

As  the  Apaches  build  no  houses,  and  rarely  remain 
more  than  a  week  in  any  one  locality,  the  place  of  their 
temporary  abode  receives  its  name  from  their  word  kunh, 
which  means  fire;  so  that  to  express  a  camp,  or  a  few 
twigs  tied  together  for  shelter,  we  must  say  kunh-gan- 
hay,  meaning  fire-place.  TVIany  of  their  words  depend 
entirely  upon  their  accent  for  individuality  of  meaning. 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  241 

Kali  is  the  word  for  an  arrow,  and  also  for  a  rabbit,  but 
when  the  latter  is  intended,  it  is  necessary  to  give  a 
strongly  aspirated  sound  to  the  lc,  rolling  it  from  the 
throat  with  marked  expression.  The  term  ah-han-day 
means  afar  off,  a  long  way;  but  if  the  speaker  intends  to 
convey  the  idea  of  great  distance,  he  must  emphasize 
and  dwell  upon  the  last  syllable,  and  pronounce  the 
word  ah-han-d-a-y .  The  word  schlanh  means  much,  a 
good  deal;  but  to  represent  a  great  deal,  an  unusually 
large  quantity,  we  must  say  schlan-go,  with  the  accent 
on  the  last  syllable. 

As  it  is  not  contemplated  to  insert  the  Apache  vocab 
ulary  in  this  work,  the  foregoing  illustrations  must  suf 
fice  to  convince  the  reader  that  for  a  race  so  purely 
nomadic,  their  language  is  in  advance  of  many  others 
spoken  by  uncivilized  races  residing  in  villages  and  en 
gaged  in  semi-pastoral  and  agricultural  pursuits. 

Apache  warriors  take  their  names  from  some  marked 
trait  of  character,  personal  conformation,  or  noteworthy 
act.  Until  one  of  these  features  be  developed  to  such 
extent  as  to  be  prominent,  the  youth  is  called  ish-kay- 
nay,  a  boy.  The  women  are  named  in  like  manner,  but 
as  they  are  deemed  altogether  inferior,  many  of  them 
are  without  particular  designation,  but  are  addressed  or 
spoken  of  as  isli-tia-nay ,  or  woman.  The  names  of  some 
of  the  more  eminent  warriors  on  the  Fort  Simmer  Reser 
vation  will  convey  the  best  idea  of  this  subject.  There 
were  Gian-nah-tah,  which  means  "Always  Ready,"  and 
was  admirably  descriptive  of  the  man's  character.  The 
name  given  him  by  the  Mexicans  was  Cadete.  Then 
came  Nah-tanh,  or  the  "Corn  Flower,"  so  called  from 
having  on  one  occasion,  while  on  a  raid  in  Sonora,  com 
pletely  hidden  himself  and  party  in  a  field  of  corn  near 
the  large  town  of  Ures,  and  succeeded  in  running  off 


242  LIFE   AMO^TG    THE   APACHES. 

two  or  three  hundred  head  of  horses.  On  one  occasion 
he  received  a  kick  on  the  nose  from  one  of  the  captured 
animals,  which  had  the  effect  of  flattening  that  feature 
over  a  considerable  portion  of  his  naturally  unattractive 
countenance.  From  this  accident  the  Mexicans  dubbed 
him  El  Chato.  A  tall,  stately  fellow,  rejoiced  in  the 
name  of  Natch-in-Uk-kisn,  or  the  "Colored  Beads,"  of 
which  he  always  wore  a  thickly-worked  and  stiff  collar 
around  his  throat,  and  bracelets  on  his  wrists.  Nah-kah- 
yen  means  the  "Keen  Sighted,"  and  was  so  baptized  be 
cause  of  his  wonderful  powers  of  vision.  Too-ah-yay- 
say,  the  "  Strong  Swimmer,"  got  his  title  from  a  narrow 
escape  from  drowning  in  the  Bio  Grande,  while  endeav 
oring  to  cross  it  with  a  band  of  stolen  horses.  After  a 
desperate  struggle,  in  which  several  of  the  animals  were 
lost,  he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore  and  effecting 
his  escape  with  the  rest  from  a  large  pursuing  party  of 
Mexicans,  who  did  not  dare  venture  into  the  swollen 
and  turbid  flood,  ^f  quiet,  easy-tempered  and  good- 
natured  fellow  was  known  as  Para-ah-dee-ah-tran,  mean 
ing  the  "Contented."  One  old  sagamore  received  the 
sobriquet  of  Klo-sen,  or  the  "Hair  Rope,"  for  having 
lassoed  and  killed  a  Comanche  during  a  fight  between 
the  tribes,  with  one  of  those  cabeslros.  His  arrows  had 
been  expended,  and  possessing  himself  of  the  arms  of 
his  slain  enemy,  Klo-sen  contributed  greatly  toward  win 
ning  the  fight.  Pindah-Lickoyee,  or  ""White  Eye,"  was 
a  noted  warrior,  who  got  the  appellation  from  the  un 
usually  large  amount  of  white  around  the  small,  black, 
flashing  pupils  of  his  eyes.  His  Mexican  title  was  Ojo 
Blanco. 

As  before  remarked,  few  of  the  women  are  ever  hon 
ored  with  names ;  but  there  are  some  who  have  decidedly 
poetical  appellations.  Among  them  was  a  very  bright 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  243 

and  handsome  girl  of  eighteen  or  nineteen,  who  had  in 
variably  refused  all  offers  of  matrimony.  She  was  light 
colored,  with  strictly  Grecian  features  and  exquisitely 
small  feet  and  hands.  Her  eyes  were  large,  black  and 
lustrous,  while  her  figure  was  magnificently  developed, 
and  her  carriage  redolent  with  the  grace  and  freedom  of 
the  wild  girl  of  the  sierras.  She  was  known  as  Sons-ee- 
ah-ray,  which  means  the  "Morning  Star."  Another, 
likewise  indifferent  to  marriage,  was  called  Ish-kay-nay , 
the  "Boy,"  from  her  torn-boy  character  and  disposition. 
There  was  one  who  received  particular  honor  from  the 
other  sex,  but  her  Apache  name  has  escaped  my  memory. 
She  was  renowned  as  one  of  the  most  dexterous  horse 
thieves  and  horse  breakers  in  the  tribe,  and  seldom  per 
mitted  an  expedition  to  go  on  a  raid  without  her  pres 
ence.  The  translation  of  her  Apache  title  was,  the 
"  Dexterous  Horse  Thief."  They  do  not  call  themselves 
"Apaches,"  but  Shis-Inday,  or  "Men  of  the  Woods," 
probably  because  their  winter  quarters  are  always  lo 
cated  amidst  the  forests  which  grow  upon  the  sierras, 
far  above  the  plains,  and  while  they  afford  fire  and  shel 
ter  from  the  wintry  blasts,  enable  them  to  observe  all 
that  passes  in  the  vales  below. 

The  foregoing  names  are  somewhat  suggestive  of 
Apache  character;  so  much  so,  indeed,  that  it  is  not  un 
usual  for  them  to  refuse  giving  their  Apache  names  when 
interrogated;  but  will  endeavor  to  give  some  Mexican 
appellative  in  its  place.  Before  marriage  the  girls  are 
much  the  handsomest  and  most  perfectly  formed  of  any 
Indian  tribe  I  have  ever  seen;  but  after  bearing  children, 
and  performing  for  three  or  four  years  the  onerous  duties 
imposed  upon  them  by  their  husbands,  they  soon  wither 
and  shrivel  up,  becoming  thin,  muscular  and  wrinkled 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

Chastity  of  Apache  Women. — Wantonness  of  the  Navajoes. — Comparison  Insti 
tuted. — Curious  Customs. — A  Feast  and  Dance. — Ceremonies. — DiTration 
of  the  Feast.— Depilorizing  the  Eyes.— Apache  Marriages.— Style  of  Court 
ship.— Coquetry.— Horses  as  Money.— The  Bower  of  Love.— Affected  Bash- 
fulness. — Apache  System  of  Polygamy. — Customs  Regulating  Marriage. — 
Nah-tanh's  Views. — Burials. — Funeral  Ceremonies. — Apache  Reserve. — 
Small-Pox. — Capt.  Shirland. — Fort  Davis. — Fight  with  Apaches. — Indians 
Whipped. 

AMONG  those  who  have  enjoyed  the  best  opportunities 
for  judging,  the  award  for  female  chastity  is  given  to  the 
Apaches.  During  a  period  of  about  two  years,  when 
hundreds  of  them  were  under  our  charge,  and  mingling 
freely  with  our  troops,  not  a  single  case  occurred,  to  the 
best  of  my  knowledge,  wherein  an  Apache  woman  sur 
rendered  her  person  to  any  man  outside  her  tribe.  Cases 
of  conjugal  infidelity  are  extremely  rare  among  them, 
and  the  girls  take  no  ordinaiy  pride  in  guarding  their 
purity.  The  art  of  coquetry  is  practiced  among  them 
with  quite  as  much  zest- as  among  the  belles  of  our  cities, 
and  with  such  delicacy  and  tact,  that  the  most  refined 
among  us  might  possibly  study  at  a  worse  school.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Navajoes  are  extremely  loose  anfl 
sensuous.  Although  of  the  main  branch  of  the  great 
Apache  tree  they  differ  in  tribal  organization,  in  their 
manufacture  of  superb  blankets,  in  their  courage  and 
address,  and  in  the  fact  that  they  keep  large  flocks  of 
sheep,  and  cultivate  the  earth.  In  all  other  respects 
they  are  pure  Apaches.  Female  virtue  is  little  regarded 
among  them,  but  is  deemed  of  primary  importance  among 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  245 

the  Apaches  proper.  When  an  Apache  girl  has  reached 
the  second  year  of  her  puberty  the  fact  is  widely  circu 
lated,  and  all  present  are  invited  to  a  grand  feast  and 
dance.  She  is  then  deemed  marriageable  and  open  to 
the  solicitations  of  the  young  warriors.  On  such  occa 
sions  the  girl  is  dressed  in  all  her  finery.  Small  bells 
are  hung  to  the  skirts  of  her  buckskin  robe  and  along 
the  sides  of  her  high  moccasins,  which  reach  the  knee. 
Bits  of  tinsel  are  profusely  scattered  all  over  her  attire, 
until  she  is  fairly  weighed  down  by  the  quantity  of  her 
ornaments.  Meat  in  abundance  is  cooked  after  their 
fashion,  and  the  guests  partake  of  it  ad  libitum.  Twilt- 
kah-yw,  an  intoxicating  beverage,  is  freely  distributed. 
A  dried  ox-hide  is  laid  upon  the  ground,  and  some  of 
the  more  noted  musicians  entertain  the  company  with 
improvised  songs,  while  others  beat  time  upon  the  ox 
hide  with  long  and  tough  sticks.  The  noise  of  this 
drumming  can  be  heard  for  two  miles  on  a  clear,  calm 
night.  Old  warriors  meet  and  recount  their  exploits; 
young  ones  ogle  and  court  the  marriageable  girls;  old 
women  delight  in  cooking  the  supper  and  furnishing  it 
to  their  hungry  applicants.  Suddenly  a  shout  is  raised, 
and  a  number  of  young  men,  variously  attired  in  the 
skins  of  buffaloes,  deer,  cougars,  bears,  and  other  beasts, 
each  looking  as  nearly  natural  as  possible,  make  their 
appearance,  and  commence  dancing  to  a  regular  meas 
ure  around  a  huge  central  fire.  The  women  pretend  to 
be  greatly  alarmed  at  this  irruption  of  beasts;  the  men 
seize  their  weapons  and  brandish  them  with  menacing 
gestures,  to  which  the  human  menagerie  pays  no  sort  of 
attention.  Finding  their  efforts  to  intimidate  futile,  they 
lay  aside  their  arms  and  join  in  the  dance,  which  is  then 
made  more  enjoyable  by  the  intermingling  of  the  young 
girls.  In  the  meantime  the  one  in  whose  honor  all  these 


246  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

rejoicings  are  given,  remains  isolated  in  a  huge  lodge, 
in  which  are  assembled  the  sagamores  and  principal 
warriors  of  the  tribe.  She  is  not  allowed  to  participate 
in,  or.  even  see  what  is  going  on  outside;  but  listens 
patiently  to  the  responsibilities  of  her  marriageable  con 
dition.  This  feast  lasts  from  three  to  five  days,  accord 
ing  to  the  wealth  of  the  girl's  father.  After  it  is  finished 
she  is  divested  of  her  eyebrows,  which  is  intended  to  pub 
lish  the  fact  that  she  is  in  the  matrimonial  market.  A 
month  afterward  the  eye  lashes  are  pulled  out,  one  by 
one,  until  not  a  hair  remains.  The  reasons  for  this  ex 
traordinary  despoliation  I  have  never  been  able  to  learn, 
and  I  doubt  much  if  the  Apaches  themselves  can  assign 
any  cause  for  the  act  beyond  the  exactions  of  custom. 
But  this  system  of  depilorizing  the  brows  and  eyes  is  not 
confined  to  the  women;  it  is  universal  among  the  war 
riors,  nor  could  any  arguments  of  mine  induce  them  to 
forego  the  practice.  It  probably  arose  from  a  desire  to 
look  unlike  any  other  people,  and  to  add  to  their  fero 
ciousness  of  aspect. 

Marriage  among  the  Apaches  also  has  its  singular 
ities,  and  is  not  unworthy  of  special  mention.  The  girls 
are  wholly  free  in  their  choice  of  husbands.  Parents 
never  attempt  to  impose  suitors  upon  their  acceptance, 
and  the  natural  coquetry  of  the  sought-for  bride  is  al 
lowed  full  scope.  These  are  their  halcyon  days,  for 
after  marriage  "comes  the  deluge."  Any  amount  of 
ogling,  sly  pressing  of  hands,  stolen  interviews,  etc., 
is  gone  through  with,  just  the  same  as  with  us,  until 
the  suitor  believes  his  "game  made,"  when  he  proceeds 
to  test  his  actual  standing,  which  is  invariably  done 
as  follows:  In  the  night  time  he  stakes. his  horse  in 
front  of  her  roost,  house,  hovel,  encampment,  bivouac, 
or  whatever  a  few  slender  branches,  with  their  butt  ends 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  247 

in  the  ground  and  their  tops  bound  together,  may  be 
termed.  The  lover  then  retires  and  awaits  the  issue. 
Should  the  girl  favor  the  suitor,  his  horse  is  taken  by 
her,  led  to  water,  fed,  and  secured  in  front  of  his  lodge; 
but  should  she  decline  the  proffered  honor,  she  will  pay 
no  attention  to  the  suffering  steed.  Four  days  comprise 
the  term  allowed  her  for  an  answer  in  the  manner  re 
lated.  A  ready  acceptance  is  apt  to  be  criticised  wdth 
some  severity,  while  a  tardy  one  is  regarded  as  the  ex 
treme  of  coquetry.  Scrircely  any  of  them  will  lead  the 
horse  to  water  before  the  second  day,  as  a  hasty  per 
formance  of  that  act  would  indicate  an  unusual  desire  to 
be  married;  nor  will  any  suffer  the  fourth  day  to  arrive 
without  furnishing  the  poor  animal  with  its  requisite 
food  and  drink,  provided  they  intend  to  accept  the 
suitor,  for  such  a  course  would  render  them  liable  to  the 
charge  of  excessive  vanity. 

With  us  the  possession  of  gold  and  silver  indicates  the 
enjoyment  of  wealth.  Gold  and  silver  are  the  recognized 
mediums  of  exchange  for  goods,  and  are  called  money; 
but  with  the  Apaches  a  horse  is  money,  and  the  value  of 
any  article  is  regulated  by  the  number  of  horses  which 
it  may  bring.  Of  course,  the  animal  must  be  sound,  and 
not  over  ten  years  of  age,  and  no  farrier  among  us  is 
more  skillful  in  these  matters  than  they. 

The  lover,  having  been  accepted,  it  becomes  his  duty 
to  determine  how  many  horses  her  parents  are  willing  to 
receive  for  their  daughter,  it  being  mutually  understood 
that  the  animals  are  given  as  a  recompense  for  her  serv 
ices  to  the  family.  In  exact  proportion  to  the  number 
of  horses  given,  her  worth  and  attractiveness  are  exalted. 
If  a  girl  is  sold  for  one  animal,  no  matter  how  good,  she 
is  deemed  of  little  account — quite  plebeian,  and  by  no 
means  of  the  bon  ton — by  the  rest  of  those  present,  and 


248  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

I  am  not  so  sure  that  our  expression,  "a  one-horse  af 
fair/'  did  not  take  its  rise  from  this  Apache  system  of 
graduated  values. 

On  the  third  night  of  the  feastings  and  junketings  in 
cident  to  the  marriage,  the  bride  and  bridegroom  sud 
denly  disappear.  During  the  whole  of  the  time  men 
tioned,  they  have  been  constantly  in  the  presence  of  the 
sachems  and  wise  squaws  of  the  tribe,  and  are  never  per 
mitted  to  even  speak  with  each  other.  But  love  is  far 
more  watchful  than  precaution,  and  when  the  old  people 
are  overcome  by  drowsiness,  incident  upon  long  wake- 
fulness  and  frequent  potations,  the  young  couple  man 
age  to  make  their  escape,  usually  with  the  connivance  of 
their  seniors,  who  pretend  to  be  quite  innocent  of  the 
matter. 

Several  days  prior  to  his  marriage  the  bridegroom  se 
lects  some  beautiful  and  retired  spot,  from  three  to  five 
miles  from  the  main  camp,  and  there  he  erects  one  of 
the  shelters  already  described,  but  festooned  with  wild 
flowers,  and  generally  embowered  among  the  trees  in  a 
place  difficult  to  discover.  Thither  he  retreats  with  his 
bride,  a  sufficiency  of  provision  having  been  laid  in  to 
last  them  a  week  or  ten  days,  and  there  they  take  up 
their  temporary  abode.  Their  absence  is  expected,  and 
re-appearance  creates  no  visible  recognition,  as  it  is 
deemed  indelicate  to  make  any  open  demonstration  on 
such  occasions.  The  young  bride  assumes  the  air  and 
pretenses  of  extraordinary  modesty,  and  in  the  event  of 
meeting  one  of  her  former  associates,  invariably  turns 
her  back  or  hides  her  face,  and  puts  on  all  the  simper 
of  an  American  girl  of  twenty  years  ago — not  iiow-a- 
days — when  accused  of  having  a  lover. 

In  a  week  this  seeming  bashfulness  gives  place  to  the 
regular  and  arduous  duties  of  the  Apache  wife,  and  her 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  249 

life  of  toil  and  slavish  suffering  commences.  The  war 
rior  may  at  any  time  repudiate  his  conjugal  companion, 
and  her  chances  for  a  second  marriage  consist  in  her 
reputation  as  a  good  worker,  or  fo,r  her  personal  attrac 
tions.  In  either  case,  she  experiences  no  difficulty  in 
obtaining  a  second,  and  even  a  third  or  fourth  husband, 
but  her  market  depends  upon  her  prominence  in  these 
respects.  Should  there  be  any  children,  it  becomes  the 
reputed  father's  duty  to  provide  for  their  support,  and 
he,  in  turn,  imposes  that  responsibility  upon  his  other 
wives.  The  women  are  by  no  means  averse  to  sharing 
the  affections  of  their  lords  with  other  wives,  as  the  in 
creased  number  lessens  the  work  for  each  individual, 
but  the  place  of  honor  is  always  assigned  to  the  one  who 
was  the  first  married,  irrespective  of  age. 

The  custom  of  polygamy  was  not  always  in  vogue 
among  the  Apaches.  A  celebrated  warrior,  and  one 
wise  in  the  traditions  of  his  people,  told  me  that  time 
was  when  only  one  woman  was  deemed  the  proper  share 
of  one  man,  but  their  losses  by  war,  and  other  causes, 
had  so  reduced  the  number  of  the  males  that  it  was 
judged  politic  to  make  a  change  in  this  custom.  He 
farther  added,  that  he  thought  degeneracy  had  been 
produced  by  its  adoption,  and  that  the  individuals  of  the 
tribe  had  become  more  alienated  from  each  other.  He 
rejoiced  in  but  one  wife  with  whom  he  had  lived  twenty 
years,  and  although  she  had  fallen  into  the  "sere  and 
yellow  leaf,"  he  preferred  her  to  all  the  young  and  more 
attractive  women.  She  had  borne  him  two  fine  sons  and 
a  daughter,  all  of  whom  were  alive  and  well,  and  she 
possessed  the  experience  requisite  to  make  him  a  con 
tented  husband.  His  oldest  son  was  a  warrior,  and  his 
father's  best  friend  and  associate.  He  deprecated  the 
system  of  polygamy,  and  thought  that  it  would  eventu- 


250  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

ally  emasculate  and  destroy  the  independence  of  his 
tribe.  This  was  Nah-tanh,  and  his  views  were  fully  sec 
onded  by  Klo-sen,  and  several  others,  but  they  could 
not  hold  their  own  against  the  practices  of  Gian-nah-tah, 
Natch-in-ilk-kisn,  and  other  prominent  and  more  licen 
tious  men.  These  recitals  will  serve  to  show  that  the 
Apaches,  although  the  most  nomadic,  savage  and  un 
tamed  of  all  races,  have  nevertheless  pondered  over  some 
of  the  most  abstruse  and  perplexing  social  problems  of 
the  highest  civilized  races. 

In  respect  to  burials  I  could  never  succeed  in  discov 
ering  but  very  little,  and  that  little  not  at  all  of  a  satis 
factory  character.  On  this  point  they  are  absolutely 
unapproachable,  and  invariably  succeeded  in  foiling  any 
scheme  I  planned  for  a  more  thorough  knowledge  on  the 
subject.  It  is  certain  that  they  abhor  cremation,  and 
resort  to  interment,  and  their  burials  are  all  performed 
at  night  only  by  a  few  selected  warriors.  I  have  reason 
to  believe  that  their  dead  are  conveyed  to  the  most  con 
venient  height,  and  deposited  in  the  ground,  care  being 
taken  to  so  shroud  their  bodies  with  stones  as  to  prevent 
the  wolves  and  coyotes  from  digging  them  up  and  muti 
lating  their  remains.  Everything  of  which  the  defunct 
died  possessed  is  scrupulously  placed  in  the  grave,  but 
with  what  ceremonies,  and  under  what  observances,  I 
have  never  been  able  to  discover.  The  demise  of  a  war 
rior  provokes  an  excessive  demonstration  of  woe  and 
general  sense  of  serious  loss;  the  death  of  a  squaw  is  al 
most  unnoticed,  except  by  her  intimate  friends  and  per 
sonal  female  relatives.  Whatever  external  signs  of  grief 
they  may  practice  among  themselves  when  in  a  state  of 
absolute  independence  and  freedom,  were  never  exhib 
ited  in  presence  of  others  while  under  the  restraints  of 
subjection  and  obedience  to  our  dictates,  and  opportu- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES.  251 

nity  to  witness  them  at  other  times  was  at  no  time  vouch 
safed  to  ine  or  any  other  person  I  ever  met.  It  has  never 
been  within  my  power  to  solve  the  reasons  for  this  ex 
treme  caution;  and  all  my  inquiries  failed  to  unlock  the 
doors  of  Apache  reticence  on  this  subject.  The  nearest 
definition  I  ever  arrived  at  was  given  me  by  old  Klo-sen, 
the  same  who  instituted  so  many  questions  in  reference 
to  the  earth's  sphericity,  the  formation  of  clouds,  the 
causes  for  rain,  etc. 

This  reflecting  and  experienced  warrior  told  me  that 
the  reason  why  they  buried  all  the  worldly  goods  of  dead 
people  with  their  bodies,  was  because  of  a  strange  disease 
which  broke  out  among  them  several  years  before  he  was 
born,  and  carried  off  great  numbers.  It  was  found  that 
to  use  the  clothing  or  household  property  of  the  de 
ceased,  or  to  come  in  contact  with  such  person,  was  al 
most  certain  to  result  in  a  like  sickness  to  the  individual 
doing  these  things,  and  that  the  rule  was  adopted  to 
bury  with  him  or  her  every  single  thing  that  the  defunct 
possessed  at  the  time  of  death,  and  all  that  he  or  she 
might  have  used  or  touched  before  that  event.  But  he 
strictly  forbore  from  telling  me  anything  more,  although 
I  made  every  effort  to  draw  him  out.  It  occurred  to  me 
that  the  disease  alluded  to  was  the  small-pox,  for  there 
were  plenty  of  evidences  that  it  had  raged  among  the 
Apaches  in  some  past  period.  That  they  know  what 
this  disease  is,  and  comprehend  its  nature,  to  some  ex 
tent,  can  be  exemplified  by  the  following  incidents : 

Gen.  Carleton  dispatched  Capt.  E.  D.  Shirland  and  his 
company,  C  of  the  First  California  Cavalry  Yolunteers, 
to  retake  >Fort  Davis,  in  Texas.  Upon  Shirland's  arrival 
he  found  the  fort  deserted  by  the  Confederates;  but  also 
discovered  that  they  had  left  three  men  behind  who  had 
been  seized  with  small-pox.  Those  poor  fellows  were 


252  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

abandoned  to  their  fate;  but  the  Confederate  troops  had 
scarcely  left  the  place  before  the  Apaches  arrived,  and 
with  their  usual  caution  they  made  careful  inspection 
before  trusting  themselves  into  the  building.  In  the 
course  of  their  investigations  they  discovered  the  three 
sick  men,  and  recognizing  the  disease  with  which  they 
were  afflicted,  filled  their  bodies  full  of  arrows  shot  from 
between  the  iron  bars  of  the  windows;  and  without  at 
tempting  to  enter  the  fortress,  went  on  their  way  toward 
their  own  fastnesses.  A  few  days  afterward,  Shirland, 
at  the  head  of  twenty-five  men,  encountered  over  two 
hundred  of  those  same  Apaches  at  the  place  known  as 
"Dead  Man's  Hole,"  and  killed  twenty-two  of  them 
without  sustaining  any  other  loss  than  that  of  a  single 
carbine. 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

Apaches  as  Warriors. — Fight  with  the  Maricopas. — Fight  with  the  Comanches.-— 
CoW.  Weather.— Apache  Camp  Attacked  by  Hostile  Navajoes.— Navajoea 
Pursued  and  Destroyed.— Animals  Recovered.— Carillo  and  the  Navajo.— 
McGrew  and  Porter.— Their  Gallantry.— Apache  Ideas  of  Scalping.—  Grand 
Apache  Parade. — Strange  Request. — Denied. — Purification  of  Arms. — The 
Prophet  again  Making  Trouble. — Apache  Cavalry  Manoeuvres. — Reflections 

SEVERAL  fine  opportunities  were  vouchsafed  me  to  judge 
of  the  Apaches  as  warriors,  when  compared  with  other 
tribes.  Some  ten  or  twelve  of  them  made  a  daring  raid 
on  the  westernmost  Maricopa  village,  just  at  a  time  when 
I  was  passing  with  my  company.  The  Maricopas  and 
Pimos  armed  themselves  in  great  numbers,  and  hurried 
out  to  punish  the  invaders  who  had  sought  refuge  in  a 
dense  chaparal,  just  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  range 
which  creates  the  Great  Grila  Bend.  Thither  they  were 
pursued  and  invested  on  three  sides.  The  conflict  waxed 
warm,  and  several  of  the  allies  were  wounded;  but  not 
an  Apache  could  be  seen.  The  brush  was  riddled  with 
balls,  and  after  a  short  council  of  war,  it  was  assaulted 
in  great  force,  but  their  wily  enemies  had  managed  to 
make  their  escape  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 

A  gentleman  of  New  Mexico  told  me  that  he  once  wit 
nessed  a  fight  between  eighty  Apaches  and  one  hundred 
and  fifty  Comanches,  in  which  the  former  gained  a  de 
cided  victory.  The  contest  was  entirely  on  horseback, 
and  the  parties  were  equally  armed.  It  occurred  on  the 
plain  known  as  the  Llano  Estacado,  or  "  Staked  Plain/* 
east  of  the  Pecos  river.  Exhibitions  of  rare  skill  in 
12 


254  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

horsemanship  occurred  during  this  conflict  which  were 
admirable  to  behold. 

In  January,  1864,  the  weather  at  Fort  Sumner  was 
very  cold,  Fahrenheit's  thermometer  being  ten  degrees 
below  zero  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  Apaches 
under  our  care  were  then  encamped  about  three  miles 
south  of  the  fort,  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Pecos. 
They  possessed  quite  a  number  of  horses,  in  which  con 
sisted  their  whole  wealth.  One  night,  about  twelve 
o'clock,  Major  Whalen  was  roused  by  the  guard,  who 
informed  him  that  a  deputation  of  Apaches  were  present, 
earnestly  desirous  of  making  some  communication.  An 
audience  was  immediately  granted,  and  the  Apaches  in 
formed  the  commanding  officer  that  their  camp  had  just 
been  visited  by  a  large  band  of  marauding  Navajoes,  and 
their  stock  driven  off.  They  came  for  aid  to  recover 
their  animals.  It  happened  that  nearly  the  whole  of  my 
company — the  only  cavalry  force  a£  the  fort — were  ab 
sent  on  a  scout  at  the  time,  and  only  about  twelve  re 
mained  with  some  of  the  most  used-up  horses  belonging 
to  the  company.  Nevertheless,  the  men  were  immedi 
ately  ordered  to  saddle  up  and  place  themselves  under 
command  of  Lieut.  Newbold,  while  a  company  of  United 
Spates  Infantry,  under  the  command  of  Capt.  Bristol, 
was  ordered  to  follow  the  cavalry  with  all  speed.  These 
forces  were  assisted  by  twenty-five  Apache  warriors,  un 
der  the  conduct  of  Gian-nah-tah,  that  being  the  greatest 
number  tke  Apaches  could  mount  since  the  Navajo  raid. 
The  trail  led  due  south,  and  about  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  the  cavalry  and  Apaches  came  upon  the  retreat 
ing  Navajoes,  who  were  all  on  foot  except  those  mounted 
on  the  animals  stolen  from  the  Apaches.  The  band 
numbered  about  one  hundred  and  eighty,  of  whom  about 
sixty  werfr  mounted.  So*  soon  as  their  pursuers  came 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  255 

into  view  they  halted,  formed,  and  prepared  for  fight. 
Newbold  and  his  small  party  of  twelve  cavalrymen  and 
twenty-five  Apaches  advanced  rapidly  toward  the  Nava- 
joes  until  within  eighty  yards,  when  the  latter  opened 
fire  all  along  their  line.  This  was  answered  by  a  closely 
delivered  volley  from  a  dozen  carbines,  wrhich  knocked 
over  nine  Navajoes  at  the  first  fire.  The  weather  was  so 
extremely  cold  that  although  the  men  found  no  difficulty 
in  recharging  their  breech-loading  carbines,  yet  they 
could  not  place  the  caps  upon  the  nipples,  their  fingers 
were  so  benumbed.  Fortunately,  the  Navajoes  were  in 
the  same  dilemma.  The  order  to  draw  pistols  and  charge 
was  given,  and  the  allies  went  down  among  the  Navajoes 
like  a  small  tornado.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  their 
line  was  broken,  and  the  enemy  in  full  retreat. 

The  Apaches  had  likewise  abandoned  the  use  of  their 
rifles,  and  betook  themselves  to  their  bows  and  arrows, 
and  lances.  The  retreat  soon  became  a  rout.  Each 
trooper  had  two  first-class  Colt's  six-shooters,  and  used 
them  with  terrific  effect.  The  moment  a  Navajo  fell  he 
was  pierced  full  of  arrows  by  the  Apaches,  and  never 
suffered  to  rise  again.  The  whites  took  the  lead,  but 
their  savage  allies  seconded  them  with  great  courage 
and  undaunted  gallantry.  For  an  engagement  in  which 
so  few  were  present,  the  slaughter  was  terrific.  No  less 
than  ninety  Navajoes  were  stretched  dead  upon  the 
ground,  and  so  many  others  wounded  that  some  of  the 
party  wTho  afterward  surrendered  and  placed  themselves 
upon  the  Reservation,  informed  me  that  only  twenty  of 
the  whole  Navajo  force  ever  arrived  safely  in  their  coun 
try.  In  this  very  remarkable  engagement,  neither  our 
troops  nor  the  Apaches  lost  man  nor  horse.  Sixty-five 
of  the  stolen  animals  were  recovered  and  restored  to 
their  owners. 


256  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

It  subsequently  appeared  that  the  Navajoes  were 
greatly  incensed  at  the  Apaches  on  the  Keservation  for 
having  surrendered  themselves,  and  entered  into  peace 
ful  understanding  with  the  Americans,  and  the  raid  had 
been  undertaken  in  revenge  for  this  apparent  perfidy. 
Our  allies  were  highly  elated  at  their  triumph,  and  also 
conceived  a  more  positive  idea  of  the  gallantry  and 
prowess  of  Californian  cavalry,  for  whom  they  had  al 
ways  entertained  a  high  respect,  coupled  with  a  whole 
some  dread.  As  I  was  absent  on  a  scout  with  the  re 
mainder  of  my  company,  I  took  no  part  in  this  affair, 
but  arrived  at  the  fort  the  day  after  its  occurrence,  and 
heard  the  same  reports  from  all  concerned.  A  visit  to 
the  battle-field,  only  fifteen  miles  off,  satisfied  me  as  to 
the  number  of  slain  Navajoes,  and  the  subsequent  rela 
tion  of  the  survivors  corroborated  the  narratives  of  the 
victorious  parties. 

Among  the  assailants  were  Mr.  Labadie,  the  Indian 
Agent,  and  a  man  named  Carillo,  the  major-domo  of  the 
Indian  farm  at  Fort  Sumner.  Both  these  men  were 
eminently  courageous,  and  both  did  splendid  service. 
Carillo  had  been  a  captive  among  the  Navajoes,  years 
before,  and  spoke  their  language,  the  same  as  the 
Apaches,  with  tolerable  fluency.  During  the  fight  he 
hailed  a  retreating  Navajovand  said  to  him:  "  Halt,  and 
surrender.  I  do  not  wish  to  kill  you.  Here  are  num 
bers  of  your  people  in  our  camp,  who  have  given  them 
selves  up,  and  are  now  living  in  peace  and  comfort,  with 
plenty  to  eat."  The  Navajo  replied:  "Am  I  not  a  man 
as  well  as  you?  If  you  can  kill  me  do 'so;  if  not,  I  will 
try  to  kill  you.  Surrender  I  never  will."  At  this  re 
sponse  Carillo  raised  his  rifle  and  fired,  putting  a  half 
ounce  ball  through  his  foe;  but  the  fellow  staggered  on 
at  considerable  speed,  until  his  rifle  was  reloaded,  when 


LIFE   AMON-G    THE   APACHES.  257 

he  whirled  about  and  let  fly  at  Carillo,  the  ball  passing 
in  close  proximity  to  his  head.  Having  re-charged  his 
rifle,  Carillo  again  cried  out':  "Did  I  not  "tell  you;  will 
you  now  halt  or  must  I  shoot  you  again  ?"  The  Navajo 
made  no  other  answer  than  to  again  raise  his  gun  and 
shoot  at  Carillo,  who,  being  untouched,  again  sent  a  ball 
through  his  foe.  This  second  shot  brought  him  to  a  halt, 
when  he  sat  down,  and  throwing  away  his  rifle,  com 
menced  to  use  his  bow  and  arrows.  At  this  juncture  a 
soldier  rode  up  and  sped  a  six-shooter  ball  through  the 
Indian's  breast,  which  did  not  kill  him,  but  had  the  ef 
fect  of  distracting  his  attention  from  Carillo,  who  slipped 
round  behind  the  savage,  and  seizing  him  by  the  hair, 
plunged  a  large  bowie-knife  in  his  heart.  While  in  the 
death  agony  this  warrior  said  to  his  slayer,  tu  no  vale 
nada,  meaning,  "you  are  good  for  nothing."  This  in 
cident,  and  another  related  elsewhere,  demonstrate  the 
extreme  tenacity  of  life  possessed  by  the  Apaches  and 
Navajoes,  and  I  doubt  not,  by  most  of  our  American  sav 
ages.  This  engagement  was  signalized  by  many  acts  of 
valor  and  cool  courage  on  the  part  of  our  men.  Privates 
McGrew  and  Porter  followed  the  retreating  savages  for 
ten  miles,  killing  fifteen  more  of  them.  McGrew  him 
self  slew  no  less  than  thirteen  Navajoes  that  day. 

It  may  as  well  be  mentioned  here,  that  the  Apaches 
do  not  scalp  all  their  enemies.  After  a  considerable  en 
gagement  they  will  select  one  or  two  scalps  for  the  per 
formance  of  a  ceremony  somewhat  allied  to  the  ' '  scalp 
dance  "  of  other  tribes,  but  in  most  respects  totally  dif 
ferent.  With  them  it  is  a  strictly  religious  ceremony, 
growing  out  of  their  superstitions;  while  among  other 
races  it  is  observed  as  a  grand  rejoicing,  a  triumphal 
jubilee.  Four  days  after  the  fight  above  narrated  the 
Apaches  were  observed  to  be  dressed  in  their  greatest 


258  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

finery.  About  eighty  of  their  most  noted  warriors  were 
mounted,  and  each  was  armed  with  a  lance,  from  which 
streamed  a  small  red  pennon.  Every  member  of  this 
party  was  enveloped  in  a  red  blanket,  given  by  the  Gov 
ernment  a  short  time  previous,  and  they  were  formed  in 
close  column  of  twenty  men  front  and  four  ranks  deep. 
After  going  through  a  variety  of  manoeuvres,  they  rode 
directly  toward  the  fort,  and  halted  a  few  yards  in  front 
of  the  commandant's  residence.  That  officer,  Major 
"Whalen,  requested  me  to  inquire  into  their  wishes, 
which  I  did,  and  was  answered  by  Gian-nah-tah  that 
they  desired  permission  to  visit  the  field  of  the  late  battle 
for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  Navajo  scalp,  in  order  to 
perform  some  religious  rites  imposed  upon  them  by  their 
prophet,  who,  by  the  by,  was  the  same  wily  rascal  that 
had  attempted  to  lead  them  astray  by  his  pretended 
vision  of  the  black  cloud.  To  this  request  Major  Whalen 
bade  me  reply,  that  it  was  entirely  impossible  to  accede; 
that  they  had  behaved  like  brave  men  during  the  fight, 
and  that  they  should  not  tarnish  their  gallant  deeds  by 
acts  of  intense  barbarism.  He  further  added,  that  their 
enemies,  being  defunct,  were  past  all  sensation,  and  that 
stripping  them  of  their  scalps  was  an  act  of  atrocious 
cowardice,  of  which  he  had  not  believed  his  Apache 
friends  susceptible.  He  had  given  them  credit  for  gal 
lantry;  but  if  they  persisted  in  their  demand,  he,  and 
all  of  us,  would  be  coerced  into  the  conviction  that  they 
were  not  animated  by  true  courage.  He  would,  there 
fore,  forbid  them  from  visiting  the  battle  ground  for  the 
purpose  named. 

This  reply  evoked  the  extreme  anger  of  the  prophet, 
who  immediately  informed  the  band  that,  unless  the 
ceremony  took  place,  they  and  their  people  would  be 
visited  with  the  vengeance  of  the  Great  Spirit.  At  this 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  259 

they  became  much  excited,  and  reiterated  their  request, 
stating  that  but  one  scalp  "was  required  to  fulfill  their 
obligations  to  the  Most  High.  Major  Whalen  remained 
immovable,  and  gave  me  orders  to  get  my  company  in 
readiness  immediately  to  frustrate  any  such  attempt  on 
the  part  of  the  Apaches,  at  the  same  time  instructing  me 
to  inform  them  of  this  order,.  They  heard  me  through 
•with  Indian  patience,  and  then,  with  undisguised  ex 
pressions  of  hate  against  the  commanding  officer,  rode 
down  the  rfver  in  solid  square  until  they  arrived  at  a 
point  about  three  miles,  below  the  fort,  where  the  cere 
monies,  I  am  about  to  relate,  were  solemnized. 

My  company  had  been  got  ready,  pursuant  to  order; 
but  were  kept  in  waiting,  at  the  fort,  until  it  should  be 
come  certain  that  the  Apaches  were  determined  to  visit 
the  battle  ground.  Accompanied  by  two  chosen  men  I 
kept  about  four  hundred  yards  in  their  rear,  but  never 
intruded  upon  their  privacy.  Having  reached  a  point 
where  the  bank  of  the  Pecos  descended  gradually  to 
ward  the  stream — a  very  rare  occurrence  in  that  river — 
they  wheeled  to  the  right,  and  having  reached  the  water, 
formed  line,  the  right  toward  the  south,  while  the  prophet, 
dismounting  from  his  horse,  entered  the  stream,  about 
knee  deep,  and  commenced  a  series  of  incantations,  the 
warriors  preserving  profound  silence .  Having  performed 
the  rite  of  ablution  upon  his  own  person  and  arms,  he 
proceeded  to  the  warrior  at  the  southernmost  end  of  the 
line,  and  received  from  him  the  weapons  he  had  used  in 
the  fight  above  mentioned.  The  lance  blade,  the  knife 
and  the  arrow  heads  were  bathed  in  the  stream,  and 
then  dried  with  a  cloth,  after  which  they  were  pointed 
upward,  and  the  prophet,  with  a  strong  expiration,  blew 
upon  their  respective  blades,  beginning  at  the  hilts  and 
ending  at  tke  points,  at  the  same  time  muttering  a  series 


260  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

of  incantations,  accompanied  by  the  groans  and  apparent 
contrition  of  the  owner  of  the  weapons.  This  system  of 
purgation  was  gone  through  with  everj^  warrior  present 
who  had  been  in  the  conflict.  When  the  ceremony  came 
to  an  end  the  band  separated  into  four  distinct  parties, 
and  went  through  a  sort  of  sham  fight,  which  lasted  half 
an  hour.  They  then  reformed  in  the  order  they  came 
and  returned  peaceably  to  camp. 

I  subsequently  inquired  of  several  of  their  more  prom 
inent  men  the  objects  contemplated  in  these  ceremonials, 
and  was  told  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  would  haunt 
them  unless  wafted  away  by  the  breath  of  the  prophet. 
The  blood  shed  by  them  was  supposed  to  be  washed  off 
only  by  the  power  of  their  medicine  man;  but  the  ghosts 
of  the  slain  were  laid  by  blowing  them  away  from  the 
weapons  by  which  they  had  died.  This  power  was  vested 
solely  in  the  prophet,  but  the  ceremony  was  incomplete, 
because  they  had  no  scalp.  It  was  necessary  to  have 
one,  from  which  each  warrior  should  take  a  few  hairs 
and  burn  them,  in  order  that  the  fumes  might  purify  the 
atmosphere  of  the  battle  ground  and  prevent  it  from 
being  pestilential  to  the  Apaches.  Having  been  denied 
the  privilege  by  Maj.  Whalen,  they  could  no  more  hunt 
in  the  direction  of  the  field  where'  the  Navajoes  had 
fallen  without  jeopardizing  their  personal  safety,  either 
from  disease  or  other  causes. 

This  incident  confirmed  my  opinions  in  regard  to  the 
superstitious  ideas  of  the  Apaches,  and  induced  me  to 
make  many  inquiries  on  the  subject,  but  they  were  never 
advanced  as  if  from  mere  motives  of  curiosity,  but  rather 
as  being  desirous  to  learn  something  which  might  be 
beneficial.  On  no  occasion  did  I  ever  permit  myself  to 
intrude  an  innate  sense  of  American  superiority  over 
their  savage  ignorance,  but  approached  them  as  a  seeker 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  261 

after  knowledge  which  they  alone  could  impart*.  This 
course  nattered  their  vanity  and  opened  to  me  sources  of 
information  which  I  might  otherwise  have  sought  in  vain. 
Nothing  was  lost  by  this  seeming  dependence.  They 
knew  as  well  as  I  that  they  were  no  match  for  Ameri 
cans,  but  nothing  could  bring  them  to  confess  the  fact. 
They  perfectly  understood  and  appreciated  the  differ 
ence  between  us,  but  it  was  beyond  human  nature  to 
think  that  they  would  acknowledge  that  difference.  That 
an  American  officer,  placed  in  charge  of  their  camp, 
should  seek  information  from  them — should  endeavor  to 
comprehend  their  laws,  nature,  habits,  language,  man 
ners,  religion,  and  other  ceremonies — was  something  so 
new  and  unexpected,  that  they  involuntarily  opened 
their  hearts  and  laid  them  comparatively  bare,  but  never 
for  a  moment  did  they  forget  to  exercise  caution  and  re 
serve,  even  while  accepting  these  advances.  They  inva 
riably  apply  a  test  of  acts,  and  refuse  to  put  faith  in 
words  which  are  systematically  used  by  them  k>  cover 
their  designs;  but  the  ordeal  passed,  they  are  prepared 
to  give  limited  credence  to  promises. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

Ojo  Blanco  Wounded.— Apache  Doctoring.— Dr.  Gwyther'a  Treatment.— Results. 
— Ojo  Blanco  Killed  in  Battle.— Religious  Creed  of  the  Apaches.— Policy  in 
their  Religion.  —  The  Deluge.  —  Apaches  Ignorant  of  their  Origin.  —  Their 
Ideas  in  Reference  to  Women.  —  Mexican  Women  as  Wives  of  Apaches.  — 
Character  of  their  Children.— Horrible  Spectacle  in  Cooke's  Canon.— A  few 
Suggestions. — Their  Respect  for  Traditions  Upset. 

ONE  day,  while  conversing  with  Dr.  Gwyther,  infor 
mation  was  brought  us  from  the  Apache  camp  that  Ojo 
Blanco  had  been  desperately  wounded  in  a  personal 
quarrel  with  another  Apache.  We  immediately  pro 
ceeded  to  the  camp,  where  I  arrested  the  assailant  and 
sent  him  to  the  guard  house,  while  the  Doctor  visited 
the  wounded  man,  where  I  soon  joined  him.  Ojo  Blanco, 
or  Pin-dah-lickoyee,  meaning  the  "White  Eye,"  was 
surrounded  by  a  dozen  or  more  of  his  mourning  acquaint 
ances,  who  were  keeping  up  a  concerted  howl  or  chant, 
in  obedience  to  the  directions  of  their  prophet.  The 
Doctor,  seeing  that  perfect  repose  and  quiet  were  indis 
pensable  to  the  patient,  requested  me  to  order  his  friends 
away,  with  instructions  not  to  return.  To  rudely  break 
through  the  traditions  of  their  tribe  and  superciliously 
set  aside  the  dictates  of  their  "great  medicine,"  was  a 
delicate  task,  so  I  directed  the  orderly  in  attendance  to 
send  me,  from  my  company,  ten  well  armed  and  well 
mounted  soldiers,  with  a  Sergeant  and  a  Corporal.  In 
fifteen  minutes  the  Sergeant  reported  and  requested  his 
orders,  which  were  to  keep  vigilant  guard  over  the  shel 
tered  cabin  of  Ojo  Blanco,  and  under  no  pretense  to  al- 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  263 

low  an  Apache  to  enter,  or  permit  one  to  make  a  noise 
in  the  vicinity,  but  to  admit  only  the  hospital  nurse  who 
would  be  sent  to  tend  on  the  wounded  man.  Having 
given  these  orders,  and  seen  the  guard  properly  disposed, 
I  told  the  Apache  mourners  to  quit  the  place,  and  not  to 
come  back  until  permitted  by  the  doctor.  They  had  no 
ticed  the  arrival  of  the  troops,  and  knew  that  something 
unusual  was  brewing,  and  when  this  mandate  was  given 
them  they  left,  very  reluctantly  and  with  sad  foreboding, 
but  quietly  and  in  order.  In  a  few  days  Ojo  Blanco 
gave  evidence  of  improved  condition,  and  his  former 
mourners  were  admitted  to  see  him,  but  commanded  to 
make  no  unusual  demonstration.  Three  weeks  subse 
quently  the  wounded  man  was  again  walking  around  the 
camp,  an  object  of  wonder  to  his  people. 

The  reasons  for  these  extraordinary  precautions  arose 
from  the  fact  that  the  injured  person  was  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  warriors  of  his  tribe,  and  exercised  very 
great  influence.  His  was  also  the  first  case  of  the  kind 
that  had  come  under  our  cognizance;  moreover,  I  sus 
pected  that  the  rascally  prophet  would  use  his  death, 
had  it  occurred,  to  stir  up  the  dissatisfaction  of  his  peo 
ple  on  the  Reservation,  and  induce  their  fugitive  depart 
ure,  to  engage  again  in  their  accustomed  depredations. 
It  also  afforded  an  opportunity  to  exhibit  the  white  man's 
skill  and  his  interest  in  the  Apaches,  for  Dr.  Gwyther, 
after  examining  the  wound,  pronounced  it  severe,  but 
not  necessarily  mortal.  It  will  be  seen  that  with  proper 
precaution  and  judicious  nursing,  we  had  the  whole 
thing  in  our  hands,  with  the  opportunity  of  further  in 
creasing  Apache  confidence  and  respect. 

It  is  due  to  Ojo  Blanco  to  say  that  his  first  visit,  after 
his  recovery,  was  paid  to  Dr.  Gwyther  and  myself,  ex 
pressing  to  each  his  fervent  acknowledgments.  In  less 


264  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

than  six  weeks  after  my  recall  from  New  Mexico,  this 
noted  warrior  fled  from  the  Reservation  at  Fort  Sumner, 
accompanied  by  over  two  hundred  other  men,  women 
and  children.  I  learned  that  he  was  subsequently  killed 
in  a  battle  with  the  Calif ornian  Volunteers. 

My  conversations  with  prominent  warriors  and  saga 
mores  on  the  subject  of  religion  were  very  frequent  and 
protracted.  The  Apaches  believe  in  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  but  they  also  place  credence  in  two  divinities, 
the  one  of  Good  and  the  other  of  Evil,  between  whom 
power  is  so  evenly  balanced  that  it  is  beyond  the  faculty 
of  man  to  determine  which  is  the  greater,  although  the 
ultimate  superiority  is  credited,  without  hesitation,  to 
the  Good  Spirit,  but  they  modify  this  superiority  in  so 
far  as  we  are  concerned,  by  curtailing  the  activity  and 
interest  which  the  Good  Spirit  takes  in  OUT  behalf;  while 
the  Spirit  of  Evil  is  represented  as  being  infinitely  watch 
ful  and  interested  in  the  affairs  of  the  Apache  people. 
The  Spirit  of  Good  is  in  the  distant  future;  but  the 
Spirit  of  Evil  takes  part  in  our  daily  and  hourly  affairs. 
The  result  is  that  while  they  look  up  to  the  God  of  Good 
with  extreme  reverence  and  ultimate  trust,  their  orisons, 
or  usual  petitions,  are  made  to  the  divinity  which  they 
suppose  to  shape  their  earthly  ends.  This  may  be  called 
the  excess  of  barbarism  and  heathenish  mythology;  but, 
permit  me  to  ask,  is  there  any  difference  between  the 
untutored  and  savage  Apache  and  the  apparently  chris 
tianized,  civilized,  and  refined  man  of  the  world?  Does 
not  the  latter  put  off  his  worship  of  Jehovah  and  take  to 
that  of  Mammon  quite  as  fully  and  steadfastly  as  the 
Apache  endeavors  to  conciliate  the  spirit  which  he  be 
lieves  will  yield  the  most  immediate  and  material  re 
sponse  to  his  prayers?  It  is  not  mine  to  answer  this 
question;  let  men's  consciences  —  those  who  have  any— 
respond  for  themselves. 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  265 

The  Apaches  have  no  tradition  whatever  of  the  flood. 
They  are  quite  ignorant  of  their  origin,  and  unhesitat 
ingly  state  that  they  have  always  lived  in  the  same 
country,  and  been  the  same  unmixed  people.  They 
pride  themselves  on  the  purity  of  their  blood,  and  al 
though  they  admit  that  many  of  their  wives  have  been 
captured  from  Mexico,  yet  they  affirm  that  it  is  not  the 
woman,  but  the  man,  who  bequeathes  tone,  character 
and  speciality  to  the  child.  In  addition  to  which  they 
assert  that  no  Mexican  woman  who  has  become  the  wife 
of  an  Apache,  and  remained  so  until  she  has  borne  him 
children,  ever  desires  to  renew  her  former  life.  That 
this  last  assertion  is  true,  experience  has  sufficiently 
proved  to  my  comprehension;  but  the  reasons  are  clear. 

In  the  first  place,  there  is  but  a  modicum  of  difference 
between  the  actual  condition  of  the  women  in  the  north 
ern  frontiers  of  Mexico  and  that  of  the  Apaches.  In  each 
case  it  is  she  who  does  all  the  work,  and  undergoes  all 
the  servitude  to  which  women  are  condemned  among 
semi-civilized  races.  In  the  second  place,  after  having 
born  children  for  an  Apache  her  affections  are  concen 
trated  upon  her  offspring  more  than  upon  the  savage 
author  of  their  birth,  and  she  will  not  abandon  them 
under  almost  any  circumstances.  In  the  third  place,  she 
knows  that  her  restrained  and  protracted  residence 
among  the  Apaches  would  subject  her  to  rude,  inhuman 
and  opprobrious  comments  among  her  fellow  country 
women — should  she  return — although  their  own  lives 
may  be  the  exemplars  of  all  that  is  vile  and  prostituted. 
It  is  not,  therefore,  difficult  to  conceive  that  the  captive 
Mexican  woman,  the  wife  of  a  noted  warrior,  should 
cling  to  family  relations  of  her  own  conception,  whether 
forced  or  not,  in  preference  to  those  which  may  have 
formerly  occupied  her  attention  as  being  natural. 


266  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

People  everywhere,  and  of  all  stages  of  refinement, 
accommodate  themselves  to  the  circumstances  by  which 
they  are  surrounded,  and  it  is  not  ungenerous  to  permit 
the  same  privilege  to  the  ignorant,  docile  and  demoralized 
Mexican  women  of  the  lower  classes.  "Let  him  who  is 
without  sin  cast  the  first  stone."  But  it  is  proverbially 
true  that  from  this  mixture  of  races  arise  the  most  bloody, 
cruel  and  revengeful  of  American  savages.  The  genuine 
Apache,  after  having  killed  his  foe  will  leave  his  body  to 
be  desecrated  and  mutilated  by  his  half-Mexican  off 
spring,  should  such  be  present.  It  is  true,  that  he  will 
not  interfere  to  prevent  such  outrage;  but  he  seldom 
takes  part  in  it  himself,  unless  influenced  by  unwonted 
excitement;  but  when  he  does,  he  proves  himself  the  mas 
ter  spirit,  and  his  treatment  is  carried  to  the  extent  of 
savage  excess.  Precisely  as  the  cat  or  terrier  dog  teaches 
its  young  how  to  catch  and  torment  their  prey,  does 
the  Apache  instruct  his  disciples.  In  their  heathenism, 
and  barbarous  ignorance,  the  dead  bodies  of  their  enemies 
are  mutilated,  and  left  in  localities  where  they  are  sure 
to  be  found,  to  convey  a  sense  of  dread  rather  than  from 
any  innate  disposition  to  deface  that  which  they  know  to 
be  insensible  to  their  acts. 

Their  philosophy  and  treatment  of  the  captive  is  en 
tirely  different.  In  such  a  case  their  savage  and  blood 
thirsty  natures  experience  a  real  pleasure  in  tormenting 
their  victim.  ^v,e££  expression  of  pain  or  agony  is 
hailed  with  delight,  and  the  one  whose  inventive  genius 
can  devise  the  most  excruciating  kind  of  death  is  deemed 
worthy  of  honor.  One  of  the  most  cruel  spectacles  ever 
presented  to  nrf^aze  occurred  in  Cooke's  Canon,  about 
twenty-eight  miles  east  of  the  Mimbres  river.  A  party 
of  eight  well  armed  Mexicans,  accompanied  by  their 
families,  and  having  seven  wagons  with  eight  mules  to 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.      *  267 

each  wagon,  were  on  their  way  from  Sonora  to  Cali 
fornia.  They  had  some  money,  and  expected  to  convert 
their  mules  and  wagons  into  cash  upon  their  arrival. 
They  had  already  traversed  the  more  dangerous  portions 
of  the  Apache  country,  and  had  commenced  to  felicitate 
themselves,  when  they  were  set  upon  by  nearly  two  hun 
dred  savages  in  Cooke's  Canon.  The  Mexicans  defended 
themselves  with  undaunted  courage,  which  forced  the 
Apaches  to  take  refuge  in  their  accustomed  cunning. 
Suddenly  ceasing  their  assault,  they  informed  the  Mexi 
cans  that  they  had  no  desire  to  destroy  their  lives,  add 
ing,  that  the  Mexicans  could  perceive  from  the  superior 
numbers  of  their  enemies,  and  their  vantage  ground,  that 
it  would  be  no  very  difficult  task  to  effect  such  an  object, 
had  it  been  contemplated.  They  then  said,  that  if  the 
Mexicans  would  surrender  their  arms,  and  give  them  half 
the  number  of  mules  attached  to  the  wagons,  they  might 
prosecute  their  journey  in  peace  with  the  remainder. 
This  proposition  was  accepted  by  the  inexperienced  Mex 
icans,  and  so  soon  as  their  savage  enemies  had  obtained 
control  of  their  arms,  each  man  was  seized,  bound  to  the 
wheel  of  a  wagon,  head  downward,  about  eighteen  inches 
from  the  ground,  a  fire  made  under  them,  and  their 
brains  roasted  from  their  heads.  The  women  and  chil 
dren  were  carried  off  captive,  and  the  train  with  its  con 
tents  became  a  prey  to  the  Apaches.  As  I  was  the  first 
to  pass  through  Cooke's  Cafion  after  this  affair,  the  full 
horror  of  the  torture  was  rendered  terribly  distinct.  The 
bursted  heads,  the  agonized  contortions  of  the  facial 
muscles  among  the  dead,  and  the  terrible  destiny  certain 
to  attend  the  living  of  that  ill-fated  party,  were  horribly 
depicted  on  my  mind. 

It  is  all  very  well  to  argue* that  the  Indian  knows  no 
better  —  that  he  merely  possesses  the  teachings  of  his 


268  *•          LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

rdfce,  that  his  cruelties  are  the  results  of  untaught  savage 
disposition,  etc.;  but  the  real  questions  are:  must  we 
continue  to  endure  the  perpetration  of  such  atrocities, 
simply  because  they  are  committed  by  uncivilized  beings; 
is  it  true  policy  that  intelligent,  Christian  people  should 
be  sacrificed,  year  after  year,  and  their  massacres  ex 
cused  on  the  ground  that  the  murderers  were  only  In 
dians?  Is  the  special  plea  of  the  self-styled  humanita 
rian,  who  knows  nothing  about  the  matter,  to  set  aside 
the  life-long  experiences  of  other  equally  humane  but 
more  practical  and  experienced  men  ?  Mfrst  we  forever 
continue  to  accept  the  wild  and  impracticable  theories  of 
parlor  readers  on  Indian  character?  Can  we  continue 
to  pay  millions  annually  for  the  short-sighted  and  per 
nicious  policy  which  has  heretofore  regulated  our  Indian 
affairs?  The  American  savage  is  no  idiot.  He  knows 
right  from  wrong,  and  is  quite  as  cognizant  of  the  fact 
wben  he  commits  a  wrong  as  the  most  instructed  of  our 
race.  If  the  reader  should  feel  a  particle  of  doubt  on 
this  point,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  commit  a  wrong  upon 
an  Apache,  and  he  will  very  soon  become  convinced 
that  the  savage  is  quite  as  much  aware  of  the  fact  as  he 
can  be. 

It  is  even  criminal  to  contend  that  they  do  not  distin 
guish  the  full  difference  between  the  two  qualities. 
Their  dealings  with  each  other,  and  their  conduct  to 
ward  other  races,  prove  that  they  do,  and  to  an  extent 
almost  commensurate  in  this  respect  with  our  own  sys 
tem  of  morals.  The  capacity  to  discriminate  between 
right  and  wrong  is  not  the  exclusive  property  of  chris 
tianized  people.-  It  obtains  with  almost  equal  force 
among  barbarians  and  heathens,  for  otherwise  commu 
nities  could  not  exist.  Whenever  the  Apache  commits 
an  act  of  atrocity,  he  does  so  with  design  and  intention, 


LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES.  269 

and  not  from  any  ignorance  as  to  whether  it  is  a  good 
or  bad  deed.  He  knows  all  about  that  as  well  as  if  he 
had  attended  Sunday  School  all  his  life;  but  it  is  done 
with  an  object — a  purpose — which  his  untutored  mind 
cannot  perceive  the  effect  of  when  weighed  in  the  balance 
of  the  instructed  in  letters.  When  an  Apache  mutilates 
the  dead  body  of  his  enemy,  he  knows  that  he  is  doing 
a  wrong  and  cowardly  act;  but  he  persists  in  doing  it, 
because  he  judges  us  from  his  stand-point,  and  imagines 
that  sight  of  the  mutilated  corpse  will  produce  terror  in 
the  beholders.  He  has  not  arrived  at  that  amount  of  in 
formation  which  would  instruct  him  that  disgust  and 
anger,  with  a  determination  for  redress  at  the  earliest 
opportunity,  are  engendered  instead  of  dread.  Like 
the  rest  of  mankind,  he  is  apt  to  measure  other  people's 
corn  by  his  own  bushel. 

In  respect  to  traditions  they  are  very  tenacious;  but 
an  incident  occurred,  when  I  enjoyed  a  favorable  oppor 
tunity,  to  demonstrate  the  utter  uselessness  of  relying 
upon  such  testimony.  "After  having  acquired  their  lan 
guage,  the  idea  suggested  itself  that  it  would  be  good 
policy  to  make  them  an  address  in  the  Apache  tongue. 
To  this  end  I  composed  a  short  oration,  and,  to  be  cer 
tain  of  the  terms  used  and  the  pronunciation,  I  sum 
moned  Giaii-nah-tah,  Nah-tanh  and  Klo-sen,  to  whom  I 
read  my  speech,  requesting  them  to  make  the  necessary 
corrections,  which  they  did  with  undisguised  pleasure. 
Having  everything  exactly  right,  a  meeting  of  the  lead 
ing  Apache  warriors  was  convoked  at  my  cabin  to  hear 
my  address  in  their  own  language.  It  can  be  readily 
understood  that  such  an  extraordinary  announcement 
insured  a  full  gathering  of  the  invited  warriors;  and, 
after  some  preliminary  ceremonies,  I  read  the  lecture, 
which  was  listened  to  with  earnest  attention.  I  took 


270  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

particular  pains  to  impress  them  with  the  importance  of 
remembering  what  I  said,  as  it  was  my  intention  to  de 
mand  from  them  a  repetition  of  my  words,  or  their  tenor, 
in  a  few  days  from  that  time.  They  were  also  requested 
to  convey  the  substance  of  my  remarks  to  those  who 
were  not  present,  as  I  intended  to  investigate  for  myself 
the  value  of  oral  tradition.  Three  days  subsequently  I 
collected  G-ian-nah-tah,  Klo-sen,  Nah-tanh,  and  one  or 
two  other  leading  men,  and  taking  each  one  aside  sepa 
rately,  I  asked  him  to  repeat  what  I  had  said  on  the  oc 
casion  referred  to  above.  Some  of  them  came  very  near 
stating  the  tenor  of  my  remarks,  while  others  gave  very 
erroneous  versions;  but  when  it  came  to  questioning  the 
parties  who  had  received  my  speech  second-hand  from 
those  who  had  heard  it,  I  could  scarcely  recognize  my 
own  offspring.  Having  listened  carefully  to  all  their 
statements,  I  again  read  the  original  production,  which 
was  immediately  acknowledged  as  genuine. 

Now,  said  I,  you  can  comprehend  the  unreliability  of 
your  traditions.  If  you  cannot  remember,  for  even  three 
days,  the  substance  of  so  short  an  address,  and  if  it  be 
comes  so  mangled  by  being  related  from  one  to  another 
that  its  .original  meaning  is  entirely  perverted,  what 
faith  can  be  placed  in  those  traditions  which  you  say 
came  down  to  you  through  so  many  generations  ?  This 
question,  enforced  as  it  had  been  by  a  notable  example, 
was  unanswerable,  and  it  was  followed  up  by  pointing 
out  the  difference  between  oral  and  written  tradition. 
This  paper,  I  said,  holding  up  the  manuscript  of  my 
speech,  will  remain  for  generations  exactly  as  it  is  now, 
and  should  it  be  preserved  for  a  thousand  years,  it  will 
read,  at  the  expiration  of  that  time,  precisely  as  }7o*u  have 
just  heard  it  read. 

My  hearers  were  wonderfully  impressed  with  the  truth 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  271 

of  these  words;  but  when  I  endeavored  to  imbue  them 
with  the  necessity  of  learning  to  read  and  write,  so  that 
they  might  be  able  to  create  written  history,  with  one 
accord  they  refused,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  work  and 
consequently  degrading.  This  abhorrence  is  so  deeply 
rooted  in  their  minds  as  to  be  a  part  of  their  nature,  and 
no  efforts  of  ours  can  remove  it.  Wherever  an  Apache 
child  has  been  taken  captive,  and  converted  into  a  serv 
ant  or  domestic,  it  is  only  by  extreme  precaution  that 
they  can  be  restrained  from  running  off  and  leading  a 
vagabond  life,  and,  if  possible,  rejoining  some  portion 
of  their  tribe. 

Among  those  who  were  present  at  the  above  mentioned 
reading  was  the  wife  of  Para-dee-ah-tran,  who  was  also 
the  daughter  of  Gian-nah-tah.  This  woman  deserves 
special  mention.  Even  in  the  most  elevated  circles  of 
refined  society  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  one  who 
possessed  more  grace,  disunity  and  elegant  self-repose. 
She  was  above  the  medium  height,  and  of  very  fair  com 
plexion,  although  a  full  blooded  Apache.  Every  motion 
and  posture  was  replete  with  modesty  and  innate  good 
sense.  She  was  always  well  and  comely  clad;  but  never 
indulged  in  the  tawdry  finery  and  tinsel  so  much  prized 
by  other  Apache  women.  Her  figure  was  lithe  and  sym 
metrical;  her  hair  long,  black  and  glossy,  and  suffered 
to  grow  without  being  subjected  to  the  process  of  cut 
ting  even  with  the  eye-brows,  which  had  been  ruthlessly 
plucked  out.  It  was  parted  in  the  middle,  and  smoothed 
away  from  the  brow  with  as  much  taste  as  could  be  ex 
hibited  by  any  of  our  ladies.  Her  eyes  were  very  large, 
black  and  lustrous,  with  a  decided  modesty  of  expression. 

This  woman  was  the  pet  of  her  tribe,  and  possessed 
characteristics  in  harmony  with  her  exterior  superiority. 
She  was  never  permitted  to  perform  hard  labor,  and  her 


272  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

hands  were  delicately  small  and  well  formed.  She  was 
several  times  invited,  with  her  husband  and  father,  to 
dine  with  the  officers,  by  whom  she  was  much  respected, 
and  invariably  conducted  herself  with  an  ease  and  dig 
nified  propriety  which  astonished  her  hosts.  Her  Indian 
name  has  escaped  my  memory,  but  its  definition  in  Eng 
lish  is  the  "  Stately  One/'  It  must,  however,  be  borne 
in  mind  that  hers  was  a  solitary  exception,  and  so  con 
sidered  by  all  of  her  own  people.  There  were  manj  very 
handsome  young  girls  among  them,  but  none  like  the 
e(  Stately,"  who,  instead  of  being  an  object  of  envy,  pos 
sessed  their  unbounded  admiration  and  respect. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

Apache  Endurance.— Inroad.— Extensive  Traveling.— "Wild  Horses.— El  Cupido.— 
Passes  in  New  Mexico.  — Heavy  Snow.  — Cold  Weather.  — Change  Base. — 
Indians  Break  Cover.— Continued  Snow-storm. —  Go  in  Pursuit. —Rough 
Ride. — Indians  Overtaken  by  Mr.  Labadie. — Navajoes  Whipped  and  Plun 
der  Recovered.  —  Overtake  and  Protect  Labadie.  —  Hunt  for  Navajoes. — 
Labadie  Arrives  Safely  at  Fort  Surnner.  —  Conchas  Springs.  —  Intense 
Cold. — Indians'  Indifference  to  Cold. — Apache  Method  of  Running  Sheep. — 
Great  Distances  Accomplished. 

ALLUSION  has  been  made  to  the  wonderful  endurance 
of  the  Apache  race,  and  it  now  remains  to  give  some 
proofs  of  the  fact. 

Having  received  orders  to  make  a  scout  of  not  less 
than  thirty  days  duration,  I  sallied  out  with  thirty-four 
men  in  December,  1863.  Having  learned  that  a  large 
band  of  Navajoes  and  Apaches  had  crossed  the  Bio 
Grande  and  invaded  New  Mexico,  where  they  had  sub 
divided  into  small  parties  of  eight  and  ten  each,  in  order 
to  carry  on  their  operations  with  more  security,  and  de 
vastate  a  greater  range  of  country,  it  became  necessary 
to  wait  until  the  scattered  companies  had  reassembled, 
and  were  about  to  leave  the  Territory  with  their  plunder 
before  operations  presenting  any  decisive  result  could 
be  inaugurated  with  reasonable  hope  of  success.  It 
was  known  that  the  district  upon  which  they  had  entered 
offered  only  twTo  direct  modes  of  egress,  one  or  both  of 
which  must  be  selected,  or  the  band  would  be  compelled 
to  make  a  circuit  of  twelve  hundred  miles  before  regain 
ing  home,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  this  extensive 
march  was  to  be  passed  over  the  Llano  Estacado,  which 


274  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

was  frequently  favored  with  the  presence  of  Comanche 
war  parties,  from  whom  no  favor  could  be  expected  on 
any  terms.  Instead,  then,  of  pursuing  the  scattered 
fragments  of  the  invaders,  our  march  was  directed  to 
ward  a  point  from  which  the  two  passes,  that  of  the 
Alamo  Gordo  Yiejo,  and  that  of  the  Pajaro,  could  be 
watched,  so  as  to  intercept  the  savages  when  leaving 
with  their  accumulated  plunder. 

Our  guide  was  the  best  in  the  country.  He  united  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  localities  with  an  excellent  sense 
of  Indian  character,  and  their  modes  of  operating.  The 
first  portion  of  our  march  was  over  an  extensive  rolling 
prairie,  deeply  seamed  with  gulches,  which  compelled 
us  to  make  wide  detours.  Several  bands  of  wild  horses 
were  met  on  this  excursion,  but  would  bound  off  with 
great  speed  at  our  approach.  On  one  occasion,  how 
ever,  a  fine  herd,  headed  by  a  superb  black  stallion, 
came  directly  toward  us,  nor  halted  until  within  thirty 
yards.  They  threw  up  their  heads,  snorted  and  seemed 
to  regard  their  visitors  with  intense  curiosity,  mingled 
with  doubt  and  fear.  It  was  strictly  forbidden  to  shoot 
those  animals,  whose  presence  and  unexpected  proceed 
ings  were  a  source  of  pleasure,  and  after  a  good  survey 
of  some  five  or  six  minutes,  their  leader  stamped  his 
hoofs  with  violence,  and  being  followed  by  the  herd, 
circled  our  little  party  several  times,  and  then  galloped 
off  with  incredible  speed  and  grace  of  movement.  All 
these  signs  were  proofs  positive  that 'no  Indians  had  been 
there  for  some  time,  for  the  introduction  of  horse-flesh  as 
a  delicate  article  of  food  is  properly  due  to  the  Apaches, 
and  not  the  Parisians,  although  the  latter  may  have  re 
fined  upon  the  original  system  of  cooking. 

The  guide  led  us  to  a  smootH  hill,  perfectly  free  from 
wood  or  brush  of  any  sort,  but  richly  'covered  with  the 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  275 

finest  grama  grass.  After  ascending  this  moderate  ele 
vation  we  beheld,  just  below,  and  occupying  the  inter 
mediate  vale  between  it  and  the  next  height,  a  delightful 
and  thick  wood,  no  portion  of  which  could  be  perceived 
from  any  other  point  except  the  opposite  hill.  In  the 
the  center  of  this  wood  was  a  never-failing  spring  of  de 
licious  water,  easy  of  access,  and  immediately  adjoining 
a  first-rate  camping  ground.  This  spring  was  aptly 
named  Cupido,  or  Cupid.  Here  our  little  party  came  to 
an  anchor,  nearly  midwray  between  th$  two  passes  al 
ready  mentioned.  The  Alamo  Gordo  Vie  jo  Pass  was 
three  miles  south,  and  the  Pajaro  Pass  five  miles  north 
west  from  the  Cupido.  Three  men  were  sent  to  watch 
each  pass,  and  to  give  the  earliest  possible  information 
of  the  approach  of  the  savages. 

The  next  clay,  after  our  arrival,  was  signalized  by  a 
heavy  fall  of  snow,  to  the  depth  of  eight  or  nine  inches, 
and  this  was  followed  by  an  almost  intense  cold,  my 
spirit  thermometer  showing  twenty  degrees  below  zero 
of  Fahrenheit's  instrument.  Four  days  previous  we 
were  in  a  region  where  the  same  thermometer  stood  at 
forty  degrees  above  freezing  point,  making  a  difference 
of  ninety-two  degrees  in  the  short  period  mentioned. 
We  had  been  unconsciously  rising  to  a  very  elevated  po 
sition,  and  had  left  the  region  of  the  cotton-wood  and 
the  vine  for  that  of  the  fir  and  the  cedar.  Here  we 
passed  the  New  Year  of  1864,  anxiously  waiting  for  the 
savage  marauders  to  break  cover;  and  as  the  snow  laid 
thickly  on  the  ground,  it  afforded  an  unfailing  means  by 
which  to  note  their  advent.  Becoming  dissatisfied  with 
this  state  of  rest,  and  knowing  that  the  Pajaro  Pass  was 
badly  blocked  with  snow,  I  determined  to  move  down 
toward  the  pass  of  the  Alamo  Gordo,  and  occupy  such 
a  position  as  would  afford  us  a  sort  of  cut-off  to  any 


276  LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES. 

movement  through  that  cailon.  Camp  was  accordingly 
changed,  and  a  fresh  position,  in  the  open  plain,  selected. 
No  man  in  the  command  had  more  than  two  blankets, 
and  many  had  only  one;  wood  was  scarce,  requiring  all 
hands  to  collect  enough  for  ordinary  cooking  purposes; 
the  snow  was  six  inches  deep,  and  the  weather  looked 
threatening.  In  no  sense  could  our  condition  be  deemed 
agreeable.  At  eight  o'clock  p.  M.  another  terrible  snow 
storm  burst  upon  us.  The  wind  howled  with  fury,  and 
the  flakes  covered  us  with  such  density  that  it  was  neces 
sary  to  throw  it  from  the  upper  blanket  every  half  hour, 
its  weight  being  oppressive.  In  the  meantime  two  men 
had  been-  stationed  at  the  outlet  of  the  Alamo  Gordo 
Pass,  with  strict  orders  to  inform  me  the  moment  the 
Indians  should  make  their  appearance.  Snow  continued 
to  fall,  but  in  moderate  quantities,  all  of  the  next  day, 
and  I  heard  nothing  from  my  spies.  The  storm  rather 
increased  that  night,  which  was  also  extremely  cold, 
and  next  morning,  at  five  o'clock,  one  of  my  lookout 
men  arrived  in  camp  with  the  information  that  the  In 
dians  had  passed  with  a  large  body  of  sheep,  at  daylight 
of  the  previous  morning.  He  and  his  comrade  had  im 
mediately  come  on  to  inform  me,  but  the  severity  of  the 
storm  and  density  of  the  snow  were  so  great  that  he 
could  not  distinguish  objects,  even  at  a  short  distance; 
he  had  lost  sight  of  his  companion;  had  wandered  about 
all  night,  and  was  nearly  dead  with  fatigue,  suffering 
and  exposure. 

The  order  to  saddle  up  was  immediately  given  and 
obeyed,  without  waiting  for  breakfast,  or  even  a  cup  of 
hot  coffee,  and  the  command  moved  in  such  a  direction 
as  would  enable  it  to  cut  the  Indian  trail  without  losing 
ground.  Our  rate  of  traveling  was  at  the  trot,  and  every 
little  while  the  horses'  hoofs  "  balled"  badly,  greatly  im- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  277 

peding  our  progress.  In  due  course  of  time  we  reached 
the  Pecos  river,  which  was  frozen  over  about  two  inches 
thick.  The  bank  on  our  side  was  about  four  feet  per 
pendicular  descent,  but  on  the  other  it  rose  gradually 
from  the  river.  We  plunged  in,  breaking  through  the 
ice,  and  as  the  water  was  only  about  two  feet  and  a  half 
deep,  no  damage  was  sustained  further  than  cutting  the 
forelegs  of  the  advance  animals.  Half  an  hour  after 
crossing  the  Pecos,  we  struck  the  broad,  fresh  trail  of 
the  Navajoes,  which  gave  evidence  of  having  been  passed 
over  some  hours  previous,  as  in  many  places  it  was  cov 
ered  with  fresh  snow  two  inches  deep.  The  knowledge 
of  this  fact  was  disheartening,  especially  as  night  had 
commenced  to  close  its  sable  curtains  about  our  vision; 
but  there  was  such  a  marked  distinction  between  the 
virgin  snow  and  that  which  had  been  trampled,  that 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  following  the  trail,  although 
with  greatly  lessened  speed.  The  storm  had  ceased  two 
hours  before,  leaving  us  comparatively  relieved.  About 
eight  o'clock  P.  M.,  we  were  hailed  by  an  Apache,  who 
said:  Nejeunee,  pindah  lickoyee;  nuestche  shee  —  which 
means,  "  good  friend,  white  eyes;  come  here."  I  halted 
the  command  and  bade  the  speaker  come  forward.  It 
proved  to  be  Nah-tanh,  accompanied  by  Nah-kah-yen 
and  Natch-in-ilk-kisn.  Upon  hearing  my  voice,  they 
came  up  and  said  that  the  Navajoes  in  their  march,  the 
evening  previous,  had  crossed  through  the  camp  of  some 
herders  of  beef  cattle,  about  fifteen  miles  above  Fort 
Sumner,  where  a  slight  brush  occurred  between  the 
vaqueros  and  the  Indians,  which  was  terminated  by  the 
Navajoes  leaving  fifteen  hundred  head  of  sheep  behind, 
and  making  the  most  of  their  way  with  the  great  body 
of  their  plunder. 

News  was  immediately  conveyed  to  the  fort,  when 
13 


278  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

Maj.  Whalen  ordered  out  Capt.  Bristol's  company  of 
United  States  Infantry,  while  Mr.  Labadie,  with  thirty 
Apache  Indians  and  seven  men  of  my  company,  who  had 
been  left  in  camp  to  care  for  the  horses  and  company 
property,  immediately  mounted  and  pursued  the  Nava- 
joes.  At  three  o'clock  p.  M.,  they  came  up  with  the  ma 
rauding  band,  which  numbered  about  one  hundred,  and 
at  once  engaged  the  enemy,  who  formed  line  and  made 
a  stand  with  about  two-thirds  their  force,  while  the  re 
mainder  were  urged  forward  with  the  sheep.  The  con 
flict  lasted  about  an  hour,  during  which  twenty-five  Na- 
vajoes  were  killed,  and  the  remainder  routed  in  all  direc- 
ions.  Bent  upon  recovering  "the  prey,  the  victorious 
party  pushed  on,  but  did  not  succeed  in  overtaking  the 
sheep  until  three  hours  later,  when  the  parties  in  charge 
fled  and  abandoned  their  hard-earned  plunder,  which 
numbered  nearly  fourteen  thousand  head.  Such  was 
the  story  told  me  by  the  Apaches.  I  asked  Nah-tanh 
whether  his  people  had  remained  with  Mr.  Labadie  to 
guard  the  sheep,  and  he  replied  that  he  did  not  know, 
but  supposed  some  of  them  had. 

It  seems  that  the  Eegular  Jnfantry  sent  by  Major 
Whalen  had  obtained  this  intelligence,  and  believing 
that  the  affair  was  ended,  had  retraced  their  steps  to  the 
fort.  Feeling  it  my  duty  to  protect  Mr.  Labadie  and 
his  diminished  force,  we  hurried  on  until  half -past  ten 
o'clock  P.  M.,  when  we  saw  a  very  dim  fire  on  the  plain, 
toward  which  we  directed  our  course,  and  shortly  ar 
rived  in  his  camp,  having  accomplished  sixty-eight  miles 
through  a  snow-storm.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  he 
was  delighted  to  find  himself  so  perfectly  reinforced,  as 
all  his  ammunition  had  been  expended,  and  he  only  had 
the  seven  men  of  my  company  and  twelve  Apaches  with 
him,  and  was  apprehensive  that  the  Navajoes  would 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  279 

make  another  attempt  to  regain  their  plunder  and  re 
venge  the  death  of  their  slaughtered  comrades.  Mr. 
Labadie  also  gave  me  the  gratifying  intelligence  that  a 
soldier  of  my  company,  Peter  Loser,  had  contributed 
more  than  any  other  person  toward  the  success  of  his 
expedition,  having  killed  five  Navajoes,  and  being  al 
ways  in  the  front  during  t^e  fight. 

That  night  was  extremely  cold;  the  thermometer  fell 
to  twenty- two  degrees  below  zero.  We  had  not  a  par 
ticle  of  wood,  but  in  that  locality,  strange  to  say,  there 
was  no  snow  whatever  upon  the  ground.  The  earth  was 
frozen  as  hard  as  a  rock,  and  the  keen,  cold  blasts  swept 
over  an  unbroken  expanse  of  plain  for  a  hundred  miles. 
Our  sufferings  were  dreadful,  but  there  was  no  chance 
for  relief.  In  their  panic  and  eagerness  to  escape  death, 
the  Navajoes  had  thrown  away  their  blankets,  and  were 
literally  without  any  protection  from  the  exceedingly 
severe  weather,  whereas  our  Apache  allies  had  gathered 
up  these  much-needed  trophies  and  were  comparatively 
well  to  do.  Next  morning,  at  daylight,  an  alarm  was 
given  to  the  effect  that  the  Navajoes  had  re-assembled, 
and  were  coming  down  upon  the  camp.  My  command 
was  mounted  in  less  than  five  minutes,  and  led  out  at 
the  gallop  toward  the  point  from  whence  the  signal 
came,  which,  by  the  way,  had  been  given  by  an  Apache; 
but  after  spending  two  hours  in  the  most  active  search, 
we  failed  to  perceive  any  sign  whatever  of  their  presence. 
Convinced  that  there  was  no  ground  for  the  alarm,  I  re 
turned  to  Mr.  Labadie,  and  offered  to  escort  him  suffi 
ciently  far  on  his  way  to  insure  the  safety  of  his  com 
mand  and  their  prize,  which  offer  was  gratefully  ac 
cepted.  Having  seen  Mr.  Labadie  out  of  danger,  we 
directed  our  course  toward  the  route  that  it  was  pro 
bable  the  Navajoes  had  taken,  as  it  would  be  their  first 


280  LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

effort  to  reach  water,  but  our  search  was  in  vain ;  not  a 
soul  of  them  ever  came  under  our  observation.  Subse 
quent  arrivals  of  Navajo  prisoners  at  Fort  Sumner  con 
tained  several  who  had  been  engaged  in  the-  affair  just 
narrated,  and  they  told  me  that  it  had  been  their  inten 
tion  to  attack  Mr.  Labadie  the  night  of  the  engagement, 
but  that  our  opportune  arrival,  of  which  they  had  be 
come  aware,  completely  changed  the  prospects  of  sue-- 
cess,  and  that  instead  of  coming  ba«k  next  morning, 
they  hurried  off  with  all  possible  speed,  and  at  the 
time  we  were  hunting  for  them  they  must  have  been  at 
least  forty  miles  distant.  Mr.  Labadie  arrived  safely  at 
Fort  Sumner  with  fourteen  thousand  head  of  re-captured 
sheep,  which  would  have  fallen  to  us,  but  for  the  fact 
that  my  sentinels  at  the  Alamo  Gordo  Pass  lost  their 
way  in  a  snow-storm  for  twenty-four  hours  after  the  In 
dians  had  left  the  pass  with  their  plunder.  His  com 
rade  did  not  rejoin  us  until  I  again  returned  to  Fort 
Sumner,  whither  he  had  gone,  after  discovering  that  the 
command  had  left  for  parts  unknown. 

Several  of  my  men,  being  quite  indisposed,  were  sent 
back  to  the  fort  by  this  opportunity,  while  the  remainder 
continued  the  scout.  Once  more  our  direction  laid  to 
{he  northeast,  but  with  little  hope  of  finding  more  In 
dians.  After  several  days  we  .arrived  at  the  Conchas 
Springs,  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  east-north 
east  from  Fort  Sumner,  and  encountered  a  severity  of 
cold  surpassing  anything  I  had  ever  before  experienced, 
although  a  native  of  Maine,  and  a  visitor  to  its  northern 
most  borders  in  the  heart  of  winter.  In  my  command 
were  nine  men  from  the  same  State,  and  none  of  them 
had  ever  known  anything  to  compare  with  the  intensity 
of  the  cold  we  suffered.  The  deepest  part  of  the  Con 
chas  Springs  is  about  seven  feet,  and  the  men  cut  through 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  281 

six  feet  of  solid  ice  in  the  vain  effort  to  obtain  water  for 
their  horses.  Six  hundred  yards  to  the  east  was  a  slight 
elevation  crowned  with  stunted  cedar  trees,  from  four  to 
twelve  feet  high,  and  there  I  determined  to  pitch  my 
camp.  The  snow  was  eighteen  inches  deep  and  frozen 
hard,  so  that  it  required  the  weight  of  the  horses  to 
break  through.  We  had  no  grain,  and  the  only  subsist 
ence  for  the  animals  was  the  hardy  grama  grass  which 
laid  covered  with  ice-bound  snow  to  the  depth  men 
tioned.  It  became  absolutely  necessary  to  uncover  this 
sole  magazine  of  feed,  and  the  horses  were  trotted  about 
until  a  considerable  surface  was  broken,  enough  to  ena 
ble  them  to  gather  some  fodder.  In  the  meantime,  a 
small  quantity  of  dry  wood  was  collected,  and  a  goodly 
fire  got  under  way,  which  was  enlivened  from  time  to 
time  by  the  resinous  branches  of  the  green  cedars  and 
firs  about  us,  which  yielded  a  lively,  hot,  but  evanescent 
blaze.  Green  branches  and  trunks  of  trees  were  cut 
down  and  carefully  baked  under  the  hot  ashes  until  they 
became  combustible,  and  in  their  turn  did  like  service 
for  others.  On  the  night  of  January  5th,  1864,  my 
spirit  thermometer  declared  forty  degrees  below  zero  of 
Fahrenheit.  No  man  could  go  three  hundred  yards 
from  camp  and  return  at  an  ordinary  walk  without  hav 
ing  his  moustache  covered  with  icicles,  and  if  he  wore  a 
beard  in  addition,  the  two  would  be  frozen  together. 
Large  quantities  of  snow  and  ice  were  melted  in  the 
camp-kettles  to  provide  water  for  the  horses,  but  the  an 
imals  were  always  led  up  to  the  fires,  for  if  the  water 
were  carried  to  them  it  would  freeze  hard  before  the 
soldier  could  reach  his  horse. 

These  facts,  of  which  many  witnesses  exist  in  Califor 
nia,  will  serve  to  furnish  some  idea  of  Apache  capacity 
to  endure  intense  cold,  especially  when  we  bear  in  mind 


282  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

that  they  were  at  that  time  running  about  with  nothing 
on  save  a  breech-cloth.  When  they  succeed  in  steal 
ing  sheep,  a  warm  suit  is  immediately  improvised  by 
stripping  the  skin  from  the  animal  and  investing  their 
own  bodies  within  its  fleecy  folds.  A  few  thin  strings 
of  hide  serve  to  connect  the  skins  and  form  a  robe. 
When  the  rascals  have  time  to  make  their  arrangements, 
the  sheep  are  formed  in  a  parallelogram,  the  width  of 
which  never  exceeds  thirty  feet,  with  a  length  sufficient 
to  accommodate  the  flock.  The  strongest  sheep  are  then 
selected  and  their  horns  lashed  together  in  couples,  and 
these  couples  are  ranged  along  either  side  of  the  main 
flock,  forming  a  sort  of  animal  fence  which  prevents  the 
inclosed  animals  from  wandering,  especially  while  run 
ning  by  night.  Along  each  side  of  the  mass  are  sta 
tioned  a  string  of  Apaches  on  foot,  who  preserve  regular 
distances,  and  animate  the  sheep  to  maintain  a  regular 
rate  of  speed.  Immediately  in  front,  a  small  body  of 
select  warriors  and  keen  runners  lead  the  way,  while  the 
main  body  of  Indians  follow  in  the  rear  to  push  forward 
and  urge  on  the  plunder.  In  this  manner  the  Apaches 
will  run  a  flock  of  twenty  thousand  sheep  from  fifty  to 
seventy  miles  in  one  day,  gradually  lessening  the  dis 
tance,  until  they  deem  themselves  tolerably  safe  from 
pursuit.  They  have  been  known  to  accomplish  the  dis 
tance  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  hundred  miles  in  the  manner 
above  described.  These  data,  are  sufficient  to  determine 
the  Apache's  capacity  for  endurance. 

The  term  for  our  scout  having  nearly  expired,  I  de 
termined  to  seek  the  warmer  region  of  the  Pecos  with 
out  delay,  especially  as  the  horses  had  become  very 
weak  and  thin.  Fort  Sumner  was  one  hundred  and 
eighty  miles  distant,  and  for  two-thirds  of  the  road  the 
snow  averaged  from  one  foot  to  one  inch  in  depth.  We 


LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES.  283 

reached  the  fort  after  five  days  marching,  being  at  the 
rate  of  thirty-six  miles  per  day.  On  arriving,  my  ther 
mometer  was  again  consulted,  and  showed  five  degrees 
below  zero,  which,  although  a  severe  cold,  was  neverthe 
less  a  very  grateful  change  in  temperature.  I  was  in 
formed  that  the  morning  previous  to  our  arrival  the 
thermometer  at  the  fort  stood  at  ten  degrees  below  zero, 
and  it  was  then  that  the  action  took  place  between  a  few 
troops  and  a  small  band  of  Apaches,  on  one  side,  and 
one  hundred  and  eighty  Navajoes,  as  already  recounted. 
The  clay  before  our  arrival  we  came  suddenly  upon  a 
very  large  band  of  antelopes,  and  the  men  were  given 
permission  to  ride  in  among  them  for  a  hunt.  We  had 
them  fairly  corraled  in  such  a  manner  as  to  compel  their 
passage  through  our  line  close  enough  to  pass  within 
pistol  range.  On  they  came,  probably  to  the  number  of 
two  thousand,  and  dashed  by  with  wonderful  speed. 
The  cavalry  closed  upon  them  and  opened  a  rapid  fire, 
which  terminated  in  giving  us  ten  fine  animals  in  less 
than  ten  minutes.  The  scene  was  very  exciting,  as  the 
men  were  all  splendid  riders  and  excellent  marksmen. 
Had  their  horses  been  in  good  condition,  we  might  have 
procured  many  more.  Just  at  the  time  of  the  liveliest 
shooting,  an  ambulance,  containing  Lieut.  Newbold  and 
another  officer,  escorted  by  four  cavalrymen,  hove  in 
sight  and  halted  on  the  road  about  four  hundred  yards 
from  the  theater  of  operations.  They  thought,  at  first, 
that  we  had  engaged  a  body  of  Indians,  but  catching 
sight  of  the  scampering  herd,  they  rode  forward  and 
were  given  a  fine  buck,  which  was  lashed  on  top  the 
ambulance. 

It  was  curious  to  remark  the  immense  numbers  of 
ravens  which  daily  directed  their  course  toward  the 
recent  battle  field,  below  the  fort.  Regularly,  abouigthe 


284  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

time  of  "reveille/' immense  numbers  of  them  would 
wend  their  way  right  over  the  camp  toward  the  south, 
and  as  regularly  return  at  the  time  of  "  retreat/'  napping 
their  wings  in  a  sluggish  manner,  as  if  gorged  with  food. 
Curiosity  impelled  me  to  visit  the  ground  and  see  these 
birds  at  their  feast.  The  field  was  literally  black  with 
them,  and  every  corpse  was  thickly  covered  with  a  flut 
tering,  fighting  flock  of  scavengers.  This  regular  flight 
of  crows  and  ravens  was  regarded  by  the  Apaches  with 
unmistakable  satisfaction,  which  wTas  indignantly  re 
sented  by  the  Navajoes,  and  served  to  keep  alive  the 
feud  which  had  arisen  between  them.  So  soon  as  this 
feeling  evinced  itself  it  was  pressed  into  service  by  the 
Post  Commander,  who  contrived  to  make  the  tribes 
mutual  spies  upon  each  other's  actions.  Any  misdeed 
of  an  Apache  was  sure  to  be  detected  and  exposed  by  a 
Navajo,  and  vice  versa;  but  the  trouble  of  keeping  them 
in  order  was  much  simplified. 


CHAPTEE    XXV. 

Eeligious  Ceremonies.— Lack  of  Veneration.— Evidences  of  Mineral  Wealth.— An 
Apache  "Rough."  —  Tats-ah-das-ay-go.  —  Remarkable  Order.  —  Another 
Scout.  —  Apache  "Hide  and  Seek."  — Prairie  Dogs  and  their  Guests.— 
Apache  Customs  concerning  Murder.— Sons-in-jah.— His  Career.— His  Re 
citals.  —  Former  Condition  of  the  New  Mexicans.  —  How  the  Difficulties 
Commenced. — Reflections. — Articles  of  Apache  Food. — Native  Potatoes. — 
Apache  Estimate  of  Dead  Women.— Navajo  Dread  of  Corpses. 

OF  religious  ceremonies  the  Apaches  have  very  few, 
and  these  are  limited  to  the  immediate  concerns  of  life. 
The  occasional  scalp  dance  and  its  accompanying  purifi 
cation  of  weapons,  the  feasts  made  at  marriages,  and 
when  the  girls  attain  the  age  of  puberty,  and  the  cere 
monials  observed  at  the  sepulture  of  noted  warriors, 
comprise  the  whole  among  a  people  not  overburdened 
with  reverential  ideas,  or  prone  to  self-humiliation. 
Their  prayers  for  success,  if  any  such  are  ever  made,  are 
addressed  to  the  Evil  Spirit,  who  is  supposed  to  rule  en 
tirely  over  the  apportionment  of  fortuitous  or  preju 
dicial  results  to  the  people  of  this  world.  It  is  greatly 
to  be  doubted  whether  the  bump  of  reverence  was  ever 
discoverable  in  an  Apache  skull.  It  would  be,  as  it  has 
always  proved,  a  sheer  waste  of  time  and  labor  to  make 
any  effort  at  inculcating  sentiments  which  have  been 
abjured  by  them  from  the  earliest  periods,  and  to  which 
they  have  become  wedded.  The  teachings  of  Christian 
ity  are  so  diametrically  opposed  to  all  their  received 
opinions  and  crystallized  ideas,  that  they  regard  them 
with  abhorrence.  To  tell  an  Apache  warrior  that  when 
he  is  smitten  on  one  cheek  it  is  his  duty  to  receive  a 
13* 


286  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

slap  on  the  other,  is  to  proclaim  the  teacher  a  fool  and 
an  unworthy  person,  in  his  opinion.  To  instruct  him 
that  it  is  criminal  to  deprive  other  people  of  their  prop 
erty,  is  to  inform  him  that  it  is  his  duty  to  starve  in  or 
der  that  his  enemy  may  prosper.  An  endeavor  to  ex 
plain  to  him  that  he  should  forgive  his  enemies  and  har 
bor  no  feelings  of  vengeance  for  their  assaults,  would  at 
once  convict  his  instructor  of  such  unmitigated  nonsense 
as  to  forever  debar  him  from  all  future  consideration. 
The  most  that  can  be  effected  is  to  enforce  his  submis 
sion  to  superior  power,  which  being  accomplished,  it 
should  be  our  aim  to  exhibit  that  leniency  to  which  he 
ma,  stranger,  and  make  a  start  from  that  point.  This 
would  be  a  practical  demonstration  enlisting  his  atten 
tion  and  homage,  and  specially  contrasting,  by  acts,  the 
teachings  of  one  religion  as  compared  with  those  of  the 
other,  or,  more  properly  speaking,  no  religion  at  all. 
To  inculcate  just  ideas  of  -such  important  facts  into  the 
savage  mind,  it  is  necessary  to  practice  as  well  as  preach, 
and  the  practice  must  chaperon  the  preaching.  But  a 
discussion  on  this  subject  is  so  entirely  foreign  to  the 
objects  contemplated  by  the  author,  and  so  completely 
outside  his  sphere  of  remark,  that  it  will  be  dropped  for 
other  and  more  practical  considerations. 

The  Apaches  entertain  the  greatest  possible  dread  of 
our  discoveries  of  mineral  wealth  in  their  country.  They 
have  had  experience  enough  to  assure  them  that  the  pos 
session  of  lucre  is  the  great  incentive  among  us  to  stim 
ulate  what  is  termed  "  enterprise."  They  know  and  feel 
that  wherever  mineral  wealth  exists  to  such  an  extent  as 
to  render  it  available,  the  white  man  fastens  upon  it 
with  ineradicable  tenacity.  The  massacre  of  the  pioneer 
set  does  not  deter  another  company  from  experimenting 
in  the  same  engaging  field.  These  localities  are  always 


LIFE   A^IOXG    THE   APACHES.  287 

rendered  more  valuable  by  the  proximity  of  wood  and 
water,  two  scarce  articles  in  Arizona.  The  occupation 
of  mines  involves  the  possession  of  water  facilities  and 
sufficient  fuel.  To  occupy  a  water  privilege  in  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  is  tantamount  to  driving  the  Indians 
from  their  most  cherished  possessions,  and  infuriates 
them  to  the  utmost  extent.  If  one  deprives  them  of 
their  ill-gained  plunder  he  is  regarded  as  an  outrageous 
robber;  but  should  he  seize  upon  one  of  their  few  water 
springs,  he  is  rated  a  common  and  dangerous  enemy, 
whose  destruction  it  is  the  duty  of  all  the  tribe  to  com 
pass.  It  may  be  reasonably  inferred  from  these  remarks 
that  when  an  Apache  voluntarily  discovers  a  rich  mine 
to  a  white  man  he  is  influenced  either  by  kindness,  or  is 
attempting  to  lay  a  trap  for  his  destruction,  baited  by 
cupidity. 

Among  those  under  our  charge  was  a  noted  fighter 
named  Tats-ah-das-ay-go,  or  the  "  Quick  Killer."  This 
man  was  feared  even  by  the  boldest  of  his  tribe ;  in  fact, 
he  had  acquired  among  them  the  reputation  of  being  a 
"Bough,"  or  "Bowery  Boy,"  and,  although  noted  for 
his  personal  courage  and  prowess,  was  severely  left  to 
the  enjoyment  of  his  own  society  in  time  of  peace.  He 
had  espoused  half  a  dozen  wives,  who  found  it  impos 
sible  to  live  under  his  capricious  rule,  and  he  was,  at 
the  time  of  our  acquaintance,  a  sort  of  tabooed  indivi 
dual,  to  whom  all  paid  outward  respect,  but  entertained 
concealed  dislike.  Tats-ah-das-ay-go  paid  little  heed  to 
these  demonstrations.  He  lived  alone,  hunted  his  own 
game,  received  his  own  rations,  and  was  seldom  seen 
among  his  fellows.  For  some  unaccountable  reason  this 
savage  conceived  a  great  personal  regard  for  the  writer, 
and  was  accustomed  to  freely  recount  his  adventures  in 
various  parts  of  Mexico,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico.  Ac- 


288  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

cording  to  his  own  narrations,  which  were  confirmed  by 
the  testimony  of  his  fellows,  his  whole  life  had  been  a 
tissue  of  sanguinary  deeds.  A  rivulet  of  blood  tracked 
the  course  of  his  history.  He  was  a  man  of  decided 
native  genius,  and  perfect  master  of  all  sorts  of  Apache 
lures,  wiles  and  deceits.  From  him  I  learned  much  of 
Indian  character,  and  he  seemed  desirous  to  teach.  Tats- 
ah-das-ay-go  wore  upon  his  body  hair,  which  hung  down 
below  the  middle  of  his  back  in  a  broad,  thick  plait,  a 
number  of  silver  shields,  perfectly  round,  and  with  a 
tongue  or  bar  in  the  center  of  each,  through  which 
passed  the  band  of  hair  in  such  a  manner  as  to  display 
the  shields  to  the  greatest  advantage.  The  first,  or  up 
per  one,  was  the  size  of  a  common  saucer,  and  nearly  as 
thick,  while  the  next  below  was  a  little  smaller,  and  each 
succeeding  one  still  less  in  size,  until  the  last  and  thir 
teenth  was  about  twice  as  large  as  a  silver  dollar.  Of 
these  he  was  extremely  vain,  and  never  laid  them  aside 
.except  to  comb  and  dress  his  long  and  luxuriant  hair. 
These  ornaments  I  had  always  believed  were  taken  from 
the  saddle  mountings  of  Mexican  victims,  and  one  day 
I  jocularly  remarked: 

"Did  you  have  a  hard  time  to  acquire  those  spoils?" 

"You  mistake,  Tata,"  he  replied;  "these  are  not 
spoils  taken  from  Mexicans;  but  I  found  this  silver  and 
beat  it  out  myself."  - 

"Where  did  you  find  it?"  I  asked. 

"Away  down  in  the  mountains  which  border  the  Pecos, 
far  south  from  here;"  adding,  "I  will  tell  you  all  about 
it.  We  were  in  the  Guadalupe  Mountains,  and  were 
going  upon  the  Llano  Estacado  to  hunt  buffalo;  but 
previous  to  doing  this  a  number  of  us  climbed  the  sierra 
to  look  out  upon  the  plains  and  see  that  they  were  clear 
of  Comanches.  In  ascending  the  mountain  I  took  hold 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  289 

of  a  small  bush  to  assist  my  steps,  when  it  gave  way, 
and  I  saw  a  bright  lump  of  something  just  under  the 
roots.  Picking  it  up,  I  discovered  that  it  was  very  heavy 
and  like  the  pesh-lickoyee ,  or  plata-hay,  with  which  rich 
Mexicans  mount  their  saddles.  I  collected  a  quantity, 
and  afterwards  beat  it  out  in  the  shape  you  see.  This 
was  many  years  ago  and  I  have  never  been  there  since." 

I  had  seen  enough  of  the  mineral  richness  of  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  to  convince  me  that  there  might  be 
some  truth  in  this  narration,  but  determined  to  wait 
until  a  favorable  opportunity  should  occur  to  permit  ex 
ploration.  Three  or  four  months  afterward  orders  were 
received  from  Gen.  Carleton,  ordering  me  to  "keep  the 
country  clear  of  Indians  for  the  space  of  three  hundred 
miles  around  the  post."  Such  an  order  had  never  before 
been  issued  to  an  officer  in  the  service.  It  was  unparal 
leled  and  altogether  unique;  but  in  obedience  thereto  a 
scout  was  ordered  under  my  command,  and  I  determined 
to  make  an  exploration  in  the  region  mentioned  by  Tats- 
ah-das-ay-go,  and  to  take  him  with  jne.  In  due  season 
the  party  left  Fort  Sumner,  thirty-five  strong,  and  trav 
eled  in  a  zig-zag  direction  for  several  days  until  the 
Guadalupe  Mountains  were  reached.  On  the  succeeding 
day  Quick  Killer  informed  me  that  we  were  near  the 
canon  where  he  had  found  the  silver,  and  that  he  would 
direct  us  to  it  next  morning,  which  he  did  about  ten 
o'clock  the  following  day. 

Having  arrived  at  the  canon,  I  left  the  command  un 
der  the  charge  of  the  First  Sergeant,  and  proceeded  with 
Quick  Killer  for  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter,  when  he 
dismounted  and  hitched  his  horse  to  a  tree,  requesting 
me  to  do  the  same,  which  I  did,  keeping  my  carbine 
ready  and  placing  my  holster  pistols  in  my  belt.  We 
then  ascended  about  three  hundred  feet  until  we  reached 


290  LIFE  AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

a  bold  and  unmistakable  mineral  ledge,  thickly  shrouded 
with  underbrush  and  stunted  trees.  Quick  Killer  stopped 
a  moment,  examined  the  place  well,  and  proceeded  di 
rectly  to  a  spot,  which  he  unearthed  for  a  few  inches  and 
displayed  several  magnificent  specimens  of  virgin  silver. 
I  was  satisfied,  and  possessing  myself  of  a  goodly  lump, 
we  retraced  our  steps  to  the  command,  none  of  whom 
were  ever  made  cognizant  of  these  occurrences.  Wood, 
water  and  grass  abound  in  the  locality,  which  is  in  west 
ern  Texas,  on  the  Pecos  river;  but  so  long  as  the  coun 
try  is  held  by  the  Apaches,  this  valuable  region  must 
remain  entirely  useless  for  all  practical  purposes.  This 
is  but  one  of  many  experiences  demonstrating  the  vast 
mineral  resources  of  Arizona,  New  Mexico  and  Western 
Texas.  Sonora,  Chihuahua  and  portions  of  Durango  are 
also  extensively  endowed  with  mineral  wealth,  but  they 
are  unavailable  under  present  circumstances.  While 
crossing  an  extensive  prairie,  dotted  here  and  there  by  a 
few  shrubs  and  diminutive  bushes,  Quick  Killer  volun 
teered,  while  resting  at  noon,  to  show  me  with  what 
dexterity  an  Apache  could  conceal  himself,  even  where 
no  special  opportunity  existed  for  such  concealment. 
The  offer  was  readily  accepted,  and  we  proceeded  a  short 
distance  until  we  came  to  a  small  bush,  hardly  sufficient 
to  hide  a  hare.  Taking  his  stand  behind  this  bush,  he 
said:  "  Turn  your  back  and  wait  until  I  give  the  signal." 
This  proposition  did  not  exactly  suit  my  ideas  of  Apache 
character,  and  I  said:  "No,  I  will  walk  forward  until  you 
tell  me  to  stop."  This  was  agreed  upon,  and  quietly 
drawing  my  pistol,  keeping  a  furtive  glance  over  my 
shoulder,  I  advanced;  but  had  not  gone  ten  steps,  when 
Quick  Killer  hailed  me  to  stop  and  find  him.  I  returned 
to  the  bush,  went  around  it  three  or  four  times,  looked 
in  every  direction — there  was  no  possible  covert  in  sight; 


LIFE  AMONG   THE  APACHES.  291 

the  prairie  was  smooth  and  unbroken,  and  it  seemed  as 
if  the  earth  had  opened  and  swallowed  up  the  man. 
Being  unable  to  discover  him,  I  called  and  bade  him 
come  forth,  when,  to  my  extreme  surprise,  he  arose 
laughing  and  rejoiced,  within  two  feet  of  the  position  I 
then  occupied.  With  incredible  activity  and  skill  he 
had  completely  buried  himself  under  the  thick  grama 
grass,  within  six  feet  of  the  bush,  and  had  covered  him 
self  with  such  dexterity  that  one  might  have  trodden 
upon  him  without  discovering  his  person.  I  took  no 
pains  to  conceal  my  astonishment  and  admiration,  which 
delighted  him  exceedingly,  and  he  informed  me  that 
their  children  were  practiced  regularly  in  this  game  of 
"hide  and  seek,"  until  they  became  perfect  adepts. 
"We  have  far-reaching  rifles  and  destructive  weapons,  but 
they  must  ever  be  ineffective  against  unseen  enemies; 
and  it  is  part  of  a  soldier's  duty,  while  engaged  in  Indian 
countries,  to  study  all  their  various  devices. 

Another  excellent  illustration  of  their  skill  in  conceal 
ment  was  given  me  by  Nah-kah-yen.  We  were  hunting 
together,  when  a  large  herd  of  antelopes  made  its  ap 
pearance.  Nah-kah-yen  immediately  tore  off  a  small 
strip  from  an  old  red  handkerchief  and  tied  it  to  the 
point  of  a  yucca  stalk,  at  the  same  time  handing  me  his 
rifle  and  saying:  Ali-lmn-day  anah-zon-lee — "go  off  a 
long  way" — he  instantly  buried  himself  under  the  sand 
and  grass  with  the  ease  and  address  of  a  mole.  I  at 
once  moved  away  several  hundred  yards,  and  sought  to 
creep  up  to  the  antelopes,  who  wTere  evidently  attracted 
by  the  piece  of  red  rag  fluttering  on  the  yucca  stalk. 
Not  wishing  to  interrupt  the  sport  of  my  savage  com 
rade,  and  anxious  to  witness  the  upshot  of  his  device,  I 
remained  a  "looker  on  and  a  spectator"  of  the  affair. 
In  a  little  while  a  marked  commotion  was  noticeable  n 


292  LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES. 

the  herd,  which  galloped  off  very  rapidly  for  a  hundred 
yards  or  so,  but  soon  recovered  their  equanimity,  and 
again  approached  the  attractive  red  rag.  These  strang  e 
agitations  occurred  several  times,  until  the  antelopes 
finally  dashed  away  over  the  plains  with  wonderful 
speed.  Nah-kah-yen  then  arose  and  beckoned  me  to 
come,  which  I  did,  and  found  that  he  had  killed  four  of 
the  herd.  We  had  all  the  meat  our  horses  could  well 
pack,  but  the  distance  to  camp  was  only  five  miles  and 
soon  made. 

Travelers  over  our  plains  have  frequently  observed 
that  the  prairie  dog,  rattlesnake  and  ground  owl  live  to 
gether  in  one  habitation,  and  being  unable  to  solve  the 
problem  myself,  I  asked  several  shrewd  Apache  warriors 
to  do  it  for  me.  The  rattlesnake,  said  they,  is  a  very 
wise  reptile.  He  permits  the  prairie  dog  to  make  a  nice, 
warm  nest,  and  then  he  quietly  takes  possession,  but 
does  not  disturb  the  safety  of  the  inmates,  who  retire 
and  fit  up  another  cell,  quite  ignorant  of  the  snake's  in 
tention,  who  makes  it  a  point  never  to  injure  the  old 
pair,  unless  pressed  by  dire  necessity;  but  in  the  most 
stealthy  manner  devours  one  of  the  young  brood  every 
now  and  then,  leaving  no  evidence  of  his  carnivorous 
propensity.  The  parents  never  seem  to  entertain  any 
suspicion  of  their  dangerous  guest,  who  always  puts  on 
his  best  behavior  in  their  presence,  although  capable  of 
destroying  them  with  ease.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
snake  never  devoursa  prairie  dog  when  he  can  seize  his 
more  legitimate  prey  above  ground,  but  keeps  them  as  a 
sort  of  reserved  fund.  The  ground  owls  scarcely  ever 
descend  into  the  depths  of  the  hole,  but  burrow  a  sepa 
rate  cell  close  by  its  entrance,  whither  they  retire  for 
repose  and  to  deposit  and  hatch  their  eggs.  In  the  day 
time  they  sit  nodding  on  top  the  hillocks  made  by  the 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  293 

prairie  dogs,  and  at  night  they  hunt  their  prey,  which 
consists  of  lizards  and  all  sorts  of  bugs  and  beetles,  after 
which  they  sleep — in  the  early  morning — and  re-appear 
again  about  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.  As  I  have  never  exam 
ined  into  this  subject,  I  can  only  relate  the  Apache 
version. 

Among  nearly  all  other  of  our  American  tribes  if  one 
man  murders  another,  the  next  warrior  of  kin  to  the 
slain  person  is  entitled  to  the  right  of  revenging  his 
death  by  killing  his  murderer,  after  he  has  been  tried 
and  condemned  by  a  council  of  the  tribe;  but  this  cus 
tom  does  not  obtain  among  the  Apaches.  If  one  man 
kills  another,  the  next  of  kin  to  the  defunct  individual 
may  kill  the  murderer — if  he  can.  He  has  the  right  to 
challenge  him  to  single  combat,  which  takes  place  be 
fore  all  assembled  in  the  camp,  and  both  must  abide  the 
result  of  the  conflict.  There  is  no  trial,  no  set  council, 
no  regular  examination  into  the  crime  or  its  causes;  but 
the  ordeal  of  battle  settles  the  whole  matter.  Should 
the  next  of  kin  decline  to  prosecute  the  affair,  then  some 
other  warrior  of  the  family  may  shoulder  the  responsi 
bility  and  seek  retribution. 

Among  those  who  had  surrendered  themselves  was  a 
very  old  man,  probably  nearly  a  hundred  years  of  age, 
for  other  men  of  fifty-five  and  sixty  told  me  that  he  was 
a  noted  warrior  when  they  were  little  children.  His 
name  was  Sons-in-jah,  or  the  "  Great  Star."  This  man's 
frame  was  of  enormous  proportions.  His  height,  even 
at  that  extreme  age,  was  six  feet  three  inches,  without 
moccasins.  His  shoulders  were  extremely  broad,  his 
arms  of  uncommon  length,  and  his  shriveled  limbs  ex 
hibited  a  volume  of  bone  almost  equal  to  that  of  a  large 
horse.  The  old  man's  eye-sight  had  begun  to  fail,  but  his 
hearing  was  keen  as  ever.  His  head  was  as  white  as  snow, 


294  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

and  lie  was  the  only  gray-headed  Apache  I  ever  saw. 
Several  of  his  front  teeth  were  gone,  probably  lost  from 
a  blow,  but  his  molars  were  almost  equal  to  those  of  a 
horse.  Heavy  folds  of  thick  skin  fell  over  each  other 
down  his  abdomen;  but  the  muscles  and  cords  in  his  legs 
and  arms  seemed  to  be  made  of  steel.  This  old  man 
came  regularly  to  see  me  every  day  that  I  was  in  camp, 
and  it  delighted  me  to  treat  him  with  kindness,  although 
I  felt  convinced  that  for  three-quarters  of  a  century  his 
h*nds  had  been  steeped  in  blood.  His  memory  was 
fresh  and  vivid,  full  of  recollections,  and  teeming  with 
experiences  of  the  past.  He  outlived  his  usefulness,  and 
was  neglected  by  the  tribe.  He  said,  that  when  he  was 
a  boy  the  hills  and  the  valleys  of  his  country  were  filled 
with  his  people.  They  were  very  numerous  and  dreaded 
by  all  surrounding  peoples.  But  dissention  crept  in 
among  themselves.  Family  feuds  led  to  family  vendet 
tas,  and  innumerable  duels;  that  the  defeated  besought 
the  aid  of  the  Spaniards,  who  afterward  turned  their 
weapons  against  their  allies.  In  those  days,  said  he,  we 
had  none  but  stone-headed  arrows,  and  sharpened  stakes 
for  lances.  The  Mexicans  were  just  like  ourselves.  The 
other  day  I  was  in  Santa  Fe  and  saw  the  Mexican  women 
dressed  in  great  finery,  with  gowns  of  many  colors;  but 
I.  remember  when  they  wore  little  more  than  breech- 
cloths,  and  were  but  too  happy  to  own  the  very  coarsest 
kind  of  vesture.  By  and  by  the  Spaniards  went  away 
and  left  the  Mexicans  to  themselves.  At  first  we  lived 
quite  on  good  terms  with  each  other;  but  then  some 
American  traders  arrived,  who  were  dreadful  people,  al 
ways  getting  drunk,  and  killing  each  other  or  somebody 
else.  These  men  made  raids  upon  us,  and  carried  off 
our  women  and  children  whom  they  sold  to  the  Mexicans. 
This  excited  our  vengeance  against  the  invaders  and  those 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  295 

who  bought  their  plunder,  and  ever  since  a  deadly  feud 
has  raged  between  them  and  the  Apaches.  You  "white 
eyes/'  added  Sons-in-jah,  know  how  to  read  and  write; 
you  know  how  to  circulate  your  information  and  ideas 
from  one  to  the  other,  although  you  may  never  see  or 
know  the  party:  but  we  poor  Apaches  are  obliged  to  re 
late  what  we  know  and  have  seen  by  means  of  words 
only,  and  we  never  get  together  in  large  parties  to  re 
main  long  enough  to  disseminate  any  great  amount  of 
information. 

The  foregoing  incisive  sentences  precisely  reflect  the 
drift  of  the  remarks  made  to  me  by  the  old  man  on 
many  occasions.  I  am  largely  indebted  to  him  for  much 
information  on  other  points,  which  he  imparted  with  per 
fect  freedom,  especially  as  he  considered  himself  a  pro 
tege  of  mine,  and  received  more  kindness  from  me  than 
from  his  own  people.  But  with  all  my  efforts  I  failed  to 
obtain  from  Sons-in-jah  any  recital  of  their  modes  of 
sepulture.  On  this  point  he  was  invariably  reticent. 
He  was  by  no  means  vain-glorious;  seldom  referring  to 
his  own  deeds,  unless  extracted  from  him  under  favor 
able  circumstances.  After  sunning  himself  on  a  fine 
day,  he  would  wink  his  bleared  eyes  in  a  knowing  man 
ner,  and  invite  me  to  take  a  seat  near  him  and  listen  to 
his  recitals.  Deeds  of  violence  and  sanguinary  outrages, 
hair-breadth  escapes,  terrific  journeys  and  bold  robberies 
were  rehearsed  with  intense  gratification  to  the  old  man ; 
but  after  relating  each  incident  he  was  always  particular 
to  give  me  a  "reason"  for  his  acts.  In  other  words,  he 
sought  to  excuse  the  bloody  record  of  his  life  by  stating 
the  incentives.  If  any  other  argument  were  needed  to 
satisfy  me  that  the  Apache  is  fully  cognizant  of  the  dif 
ference  between  right  and  wrong,  this  old  reprobate's 
excuses  were  sufficient  to  remove  all  remaining  doubts 


296  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

I  utilized  old  Sons-in-jah  in  a  variety  of  ways.  He  was 
entirely  nude,  with  the  exception  of  a  much  worn  breech- 
cloth,  and  he  complained  bitterly  that  his  people  treated 
him  with  neglect,  and  robbed  him  of  his  rations.  I  gave 
him  a  good  pair  .of  soldier's  pants  of  the  largest  size,  a 
flannel  shirt  and  a  stout  pair  of  shoes,  which  delighted 
him  greatly.  He  came  regularly  every  day  for  food, 
which  he  received  from  me  whenever  I  was  in  camp, 
and  at  other  times  from  some  member  of  the  company. 

"How  is  it,"  said  I,  "that  the  Apaches  contrive  to 
live  in  places  where  there  is  neither  game  nor  plunder?" 
The  old  man  laughed  heartily  at  my  ignorance  and  sim 
plicity,  and  replied: 

"  There  is  food  everywhere  if  one  only  knows  how  to 
find  it.  Let  us  go  down  to  the  field  below,  and  I  will 
show  you." 

The  distance  was  not  more  than  six  hundred  yards, 
and  we  proceeded  together.  There  appeared  to  be  no 
herbage  whatever  on  the  spot.  The  earth  was  com 
pletely  bare,  and  my  inexperienced  eyes  could  detect 
nothing.  Stooping  down  he  dug  with  his  knife,  about 
six  inches  deep,  and  soon  unearthed  a  small  root  about 
the  size  of  a  large  gooseberry.  "Taste  that,"  said  he; 
I  did,  and  found  it  excellent,  somewhat  resembling  in 
flavor  a  raw  sweet  potato,  but  more  palatable.  He  then 
pointed  out  to  me  a  small  dry  stalk,  not  larger  than  an 
ordinary  match,  and  about  half  as  long:  "Wherever  you 
find  these,"  he  added,  "you  will  find  potatoes."  This 
was  in  October,  and  a  few  days  afterward  the  field  was 
covered  with  Indians  digging  these  roots,  of  which  they 
obtained  large  quantities.  Pursuing  the  subject,  Sons- 
in-jah  said:  "  You  see  that  big  field  of  sun-flowers;  well, 
they  contain  much  food,  for  we  take  the  seeds,  reduce 
them  to  flour  upon  our  metates  and  make  it  into  cakes, 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  297 

which  are  very  nice.  Again:  the  mescal,  which  you 
white  people  would  pass  without  notice,  is  convertible 
into  excellent  food  by  the  simple  process  of  roasting. 
Furthermore,  we  know  exactly  when,  where  and  how  to 
trap  and  catch  small  animals,  like  the  prairie  dogs,  foxes, 
raccoons  and  others;  besides  which  there  are  many  plants 
containing  nutriment  of  which  you  know  nothing,  or 
would  not  eat  if  you  did.  One  day  an  Apache  woman 
died  in  camp,  and  I  asked  Gian-nah-tah  if  there  would 
be  much  lamentation.  He  simply  smiled  at  the  idea, 
and  replied:  "It  was  a  woman;  her  death  is  of  no  ac 
count."  The  Apaches  are  extremely  reserved  about 
letting  outsiders  approach  their  dead,  and  invariably 
bury  them  under  the  cover  of  night,  with  the  most  cau 
tious  secrecy;  but  the  Navajoes  were  quite  unreserved, 
and  it  was  only  by  threats  or  promises  that  we  could 
induce  the  nearest  of  kin  to  take  a  dead  body  out  for 
sepulture.  Cases  occurred  when  the  corpses  were  left 
wholly  uhcared  for  several  days  successively,  and  the 
deaths  not  reported,  from  a  desire  to  escape  the  duty  of 
performing  the  dreaded  burial  service. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

Apache  Boldness  and  Address. — The  Papagoes. — A  Fine  Herd  Stolen  by  One 
Apache. — An  Officer's  Horse  Stolen. — Soldier  Kobbed  of  his  Horse. — Ne. 
cessity  for  Prudence. — Apache  Games. — Sons-in-jah's  Version.  —  Apache 
Ideas  of  Gambling.— Racea  at  Fort  Sunmer.  —  The  Winners.  —  Manuelito, 
the  Great  Navajo  Warrior. 

THE  boldness  and  address  with  which  the  Apaches 
carry  out  their  designs,  and  the  crafty  cunning  they  dis 
play  when  desiring  to  mislead  their  enemies,  can  be  best 
illustrated  by  stating  several  notable  occurrences.  The 
horses  of  the  two  companies  commanded  by  Captains 
McCleave  and  Fritz,  of  the  First  California  Cavalry,  had 
become  thin  and  weak  from  long  and  active  service,  and 
needed  rest  and  refreshment.  For  this  purpose  General 
Carleton  ordered  them  to  the  Reventon,  a  large  rancho 
near  the  town  of  Tubac;  but  finding  better  grass  and  su 
perior  camping  ground  near  the  town  of  San  Xavier  del 
Bac,  the  companies  took  up  temporary  residence  at  that 
place.  San  Xavier  is  principally  inhabited  by  Papago 
Indians,  and  contains  about  fifteen  hundred  souls.  The 
Papagoes  are  semi  -  civilized,  and  have  always  been 
friendly;  but  a  deadly  feud  exists  between  them  and  the 
Apaches,  who  seize  every  opportunity  to  annoy,  rob  and 
murder  those  people.  The  Papagoes  had  a  large  num 
ber  of  horses  which  were  grazed,  in  the-  daytime,  near 
the  town,  and  caught  up  at  night  for  fear  of  their  being 
stolen  by  the  ever  vigilant  foe.  When  McCleave  and 
Fritz  arrived  with  two  hundred  troopers,  and  grazed 
their  horses  by  night  under  a  strong  guard,  the  Papa- 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  299 

goes  imagined  that*  the  force  would  deter  the  Apaches 
and  keep  them  away.  Under  this  impression  they  also 
permitted  their  animals  to  feed  by  night.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Apaches,  as  one  of  them  afterward  told  me, 
foresaw  precisely  what  happened.  Those  foolish  Papa- 
goes,  said  they,  will  think  that  because  the  Californian 
troops  are  so  near  that  their  property  will  be  safe,  and 
will  relax  their  usual  caution;  now  is  our  time  to  act. 
They  did  act,  and  to  such  purpose  that  they  took  nearly 
every  horse  once  possessed  by  the  Papagoes.  Here  was 
a  specimen  of  nice  judgment,  founded  upon  a  shrewd 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  and  executed  with  boldness 
and  address. 

A  wealthy  resident  of  New  Mexico,  near  Polvadera, 
owned  a  herd  of  superior  horses  of  which  he  was  extremely 
careful.  The  band  numbered  nearly  one  hundred,  and 
were  renowned  for  their  excellence.  These  horses  were 
strictly  guarded  every  day,  while  grazing  not  far  from 
the  house,  by  twelve  or  fifteen  well  armed  Mexicans,  and 
at  nightfall  were  inclosed  in  a  large  and  strong  corral, 
the  walls  of  which  were  sixteen  feet  high  and  three  feet 
thick,  the  only  entrance  being  through  a  large  and  strong 
gate  which  was  heavily  barred  and  locked.  Numerous 
attempts  to  steal  this  herd  had  been  made  by  the  Apaches, 
but  invariably  without  success.  The  horses  fed  on  a 
smooth,  open  plain,  which  could  be  easily  scanned,  and 
was  so  close  to  the  corral  that  they  could  be  placed  in 
safety  in  a  few  minutes.  At  length  one  bold  rascal  deter 
mined  either  to  get  the  herd  or  die  attempting  it.  One 
very  dark  and  stormy  night  he  contrived  to  climb  over  the 
corral  wall,  and  concealed  himself  in  the  hay  and  feed 
scattered  about.  Here  he  remained  until  the  earliest 
dawn,  when  he  selected  the  best  horse  in  the  lot,  and 
mounting  him,  waited  for  the  gates  to  be  thrown  open. 


300  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Soon  afterward  the  herders,  yet  unarmed,  collected  with 
their  reatas,  each  one  ready  to  lasso  a  horse  for  that  day's 
service,  as  was  their  custom,  after  which  the  selected 
horses  were  to  be  saddled,  then  arms  taken,  and  the  herd 
driven  to  pasture.  As  soon  as  the  gate  was  thrown  open 
the  frolicsome  horses  made  a  rush  to  get  out,  as  they 
always  did,  the  Apache  keeping  in  the  rear  until  all  were 
outside,  when,  with  a  yell,  and  the  alarming  sound  of 
an  instrument  they  use  when  stampeding  animals,  he 
started  the  frightened  herd  which  darted  off  at  full 
speed,  leaving  the  astonished  and  bewildered  Mexicans 
in  distress.  The  scoundrel,  by  leaning  down  from  the 
horse  so  he  could  not  be  seen,  had  escaped  notice  and 
accomplished  the  robbery.  Comment  upon  this  bold' 
and  desperate  act  is  quite  unnecessary;  it  speaks  for  itself. 
Lieut. -Col.  Ferguson,  of  the  First  California  Cavalry, 
bought  a  fine  American  horse,  for  which  he  paid  three 
hundred  dollars.  He  availed  himself  of  the  escort  of 
fered  by  my  company  to  proceed  to  Tucson.  One  after 
noon  we  camped  in  a  grove  of  large  cotton-wood  trees, 
without  underbrush,  and  in  a  favorable  position.  The 
picket  line  was  ran  from  tree  to  tree,  and  at  sunset  the 
horses  were  fastened  to  it,  fed,  groomed,  and  a  guard  of 
two  men,  one  each  side,  placed  over  them.  The  Colonel 
would  not  permit  his  horse  to  be  tied  up  with  those  of 
the  company,  saying  that  he  did  not  want  him  kicked 
nor  bitten  by  those  malicious  half-breeds — and,  I  must 
say,  with  some  reason  —  for  there  were  a  number  of 
vicious  animals  among  them.  By  his  order,  an  iron 
stake  was  driven  in  the  ground,  about  twenty  feet  from 
one  end  of  the  picket  line,  and  just  opposite  the  entrance 
to  a  narrow,  rocky  canon.  The  moon  was  very  brilliant, 
but  would  set  behind  the  mountains  about  one  o'clock 
A.  M.,  and  orders  were  given  to  keep  a  special  watch  over 


LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES.  301 

the  Colonel's  horse  after  that  hour.  About  the  time 
mentioned,  the  camp  was  alarmed  by  the  report  of  a 
couple  of  carbines,  and  on  inquiring  the  cause,  found 
that  the  sentries  had  fired  at  an  Apache  who  had  gone 
off  with  the  Colonel's  horse.  The  successful  robber  had 
approached  quite  close  to  the  animal  without  being  dis 
covered,  and  the  moment  the  moon  hid  her  light  behind 
the  hill,  he  cut  the  halter,  sprang  upon  its  back,  stooped 
off  on  one  side,  and  galloped  up  the  canon.  The  sen 
tries  heard  the  noise,  suspected  the  cause,  and  fired  in 
the  direction  of  the  retreating  savage. 

The  mail  service  between  Forts  Sumner  and  Union, 
one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  apart,  required  that  the 
military  courier  should  be  mounted  on  the  best  horse 
disposable.  The  Reservation,  at  the  former  place,  was 
forty  miles  square,  and  within  its  limits  the  Indians  had 
a  right  to  roam.  On  one  occasion,  while  the  courier 
was  returning  with  the  mails,  he  stopped  near  the  en 
trance  to  a  large  and  very  crooked  canon,  dotted  with 
huge  fragments  of  rock.  At  this  place  the  grass  was 
very  fresh  and  fine,  which  induced  the  soldier  to  halt 
and  permit  his  tired  and  hungry  horse  to  graze  for  half 
an  hour.  He  accordingly  dismounted,  and  let  the  ani 
mal  range  to  the  extent  of  his  reata,  which  was  a  remark 
ably  fine  one,  and  about  sixty  feet  long.  Although  on 
the  Reservation,  he  drew  his  pistol  and  seated  himself 
on  a  fragment  of  the  rock.  While  occupied  in  noticing 
the  movements  of  his  horse,  he  was  addressed  by  an 
Apache,  who  had  come  up  within  four  feet  of  him  with 
out  being  perceived.  The  Indian,  who  was  unarmed, 
held  out  his  hand  in  the  frankest  manner,  and  said: 
Nejeunee,  nejeunee;  which  means,  "friendly,  kind." 
The  soldier,  believing  him  to  be  one  of  those  under  our 
charge,  suffered  him  to  approach  and  shake  hands. 
14 


302  LIFE   AMONG  THE   APACHES. 

Soon  the  wily  savage  pretended  to  be  delighted  at  the 
reata,  which  he  declared  was  the  finest  he  ever  saw, 
and  commenced  to  examine  it  with  critical  attention 
throughout  its  length  until  he  reached  the  horse,  which 
he  also  evidently  admired.  Patting  the  animal,  he  re-, 
marked,  mucho  bueno;  yes,  answered  the  soldier,  he  is  a 
fine  horse.  In  the  meantime,  the  Indian,  unnoticed  by 
the  soldier,  had  drawn  a  small  knife  from  the  leg  of  his 
moccasin  and  severed  the  reata  close  to  the  horse,  keep 
ing  the  cut  ends  concealed  in  his  left  hand  while  patting 
the  horse  with  his  right.  Suddenly  he  pointed  behind 
the  soldier  and  shouted,  Comanclie  on  ddhl;  which  means, 
"  the  Comanches  are  coming."  Involuntarily  the  soldier 
turned  to  see,  and  at  the  instant  the  Apache  sprang  into 
the  saddle,  and  in  two  bounds  was  behind  the  friendly 
shelter  of  a  huge  rock,  from  whence  he  effected  his  es 
cape  with  the  horse,  leaving  the  soldier  holding  the  reata 
in  one  hand  and  his  pistol  in  the  other.  I  might  go  on 
and  relate  many  more  incidents  of  the  same  character, 
but  as  they  all  illustrate  the  same  special  traits,  they 
will  be  omitted.  The  moral  to  be  drawn  is,  that  the 
traveler  can  never  exercise  too  much  prudence  while 
among  the  Apaches,  and  it  will  never  do  to  underrate 
their  boldness,  skill  and  craftiness. 

They  are  fond  of  bathing  in  the  summer,  and  are  all 
expert  swimmers;  but  nothing  can  induce  them  to  wash 
themselves  in  winter*  They  are  the  most  reckless  of  all 
gamblers,  risking  anything  they  possess  upon  the  turn 
of  a  card.  Men,  women  and  children  indiscriminately 
engage  in  this  vice;  but  there  are  some  games  to  which 
women  are  never  allowed  access.  Among  these  is  one 
played  with  poles  and  a  hoop.  The  former  are  gener 
ally  about  ten  feet  in  length,  smooth  and  gradually  ta 
pering  like  a  lance.  It  is  marked  with  divisions  through- 


LIFE    AMONG    THE   APACHES.  303 

out  its  whole  length,  and  these  divisions  are  stained  in 
different  colors.  The  hoop  is  of  wood,  about  six  inches 
in  diameter,  and  divided  like  the  poles,  of  which  each 
player  has  one.  Only  two  persons  can  engage  in  this 
game  at  one  time.  A  level  place  is  selected,  from  which 
the  grass  is  removed  a  foot  in  width,  and  for  twenty-five 
or  thirty  feet  in  length,  and  the  earth  trodden  down 
firmly  and  smoothly.  One  of  the  players  rolls  the  hoop 
forward,  and  after  it  reaches  a  certain  distance,  both 
dart  their  poles  after  it,  overtaking  and  throwing  it 
down.  The  graduation  of  values  is  from  the  point  of 
the  pole  toward  the  butt,  which  ranks  highest,  and  the 
object  is  to  make  the  hoop  fall  on  the  pole  as  near  the 
butt  as  possible,  at  the  same  time  noting  the  value  of 
the  part  which  touches  the  hoop.  The  two  values  are 
then  added  and  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  player.  The 
game  usually  runs  up  to  a  hundred,  but  the  extent  is 
arbitrary  among  the  players.  While  it  is  going  on  no 
woman  is  permitted  to  approach  within  a  hundred  yards, 
and  each  person  present  is  compelled  to  leave  all  his 
arms  behind.  I  inquired  the  reason  for  these  restric 
tions,  and  was  told  that  they  were  required  by  tradition; 
but  the  shrewd  old  Sons-in-jah  gave  me  another,  and,  I 
believe,  the  true  version.  When  people  gamble,  said 
he,  they  become  half  crazy,  and  are  very  apt  to  quarrel. 
This  is  the  most  exciting  game  we  have,  and  those  who 
play  it  will  wager  all  they  possess.  The  loser  is  apt  to  get 
angry,  and  fights  have  ensued  which  resulted  in  the  loss 
of  many  warriors.  To  prevent  this,  it  was  long  ago  de 
termined  that  no  warrior  should  be  present  with  arms 
upon  his  person  or  within  near  reach ,  and  this  game  is 
always  played  at  some  distance  from  camp.  Three 
prominent  warriors  are  named  as  judges,  and  from  their 
decision  there  is  no  appeal.  They  are  not  suffered  to  bet 


304  LIFE    AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

while  acting  in  that  capacity.  The  reason  why  women 
are  forbidden  to  be  present  is  because  they  always 
foment  troubles  between  the  players,  and  create  confu 
sion  by  taking  sides  and  provoking  dissention.  I  once 
asked  Gian-nah-tah  why  the  Apaches  were  such  fools  as 
to  risk  all  they  had  in  gaming.  "Why,"  said  he,  "what 
difference  does  it  make  ?  They  never  play  with  any  but 
Apaches;  fortune  will  not  always  stick  to  one  person, 
but  continually  changes.  What  is  mine  to-day  will  be 
long  to  somebody  else  to-morrow,  while  I  get  another 
man's  goods;  and,  in  course  of  time,  I  once  more  own 
my  old  articles.  In  this  manner  each  successively  owns 
the  property  of  all  his  fellows."  To  argue  against  this 
style  of  reasoning,  by  pointing  out  the  vice  and  immo 
rality  of  gambling,  would  only  have  subjected  me  to  de 
rision  and  contempt,  and  as  I  am  not  a  missionary — : 
especially  one  of  the  self-sacrificing  class — I  received  his 
explanation  with  every  mark  of  favor.  The  women  have 
several  games  of  their  own,  in  which  the  men  never 
mingle;  but  when  cards  are  used,  everybody  takes  a 
share  in  the  business. 

Racing  on  foot  is  another  diversion  frequently  resorted 
to  by  these  active,  restless  Indians,  and  the  women  gen 
erally  manage  to  carry  off  the  palm,  provided  the  dis 
tance  is  not  too  great.  The  officers  at  the  post  offered 
a  number  of  prizes  to  be  competed  for,  the  fastest  run 
ner  to  take  the  prize  apportioned  to  the  distance  for 
which  it  was  offered.  The  longest  race  was  half  a  mile, 
the  next  a  quarter,  the  third  three  hundred  yards,  and 
the  fourth  one  hundred.  It  was  open  for  men  under 
forty  years  of  age  and  over  fifteen,  and  for  girls  from 
fifteen  up  to  twenty-five.  About .  a  hundred  Apaches 
and  Navajoes  entered  for  the  prizes,  and  practiced  every 
day  for  a  week.  At  the  appointed  time  everybody  in 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  305 

camp  assembled  to  witness  the  contest.  Among  the 
competitors  was  the  Apache  girl,  Ish-kay-nay,  a  clean 
limbed,  handsome  girl  of  seventeen,  who  had  always 
refused  marriage,  and  she  was  the  favorite  among  the 
whites.  Each  runner  was  tightly  girded  with  a  broad 
belt,  and  looked  like  a  race  horse.  Ten  entered  for  the 
half  mile  stake,  which  was  a  gaudy  piece  of  calico  for  a 
dress  or  shirt,  as  the  case  might  be.  At  the  word,  they 
went  off  like  rockets,  Nah-kah-yen  leading  handsomely, 
and  Ish-kay-nay  bringing  up  the  rear,  but  running  as 
clean  and  easy  as  a  greyhound.  Within  four  hundred 
yards  of  the  goal,  she  closed  the  gap,  went  by  like  a 
steam  engine,  and  got  in  an  easy  winner,  six  yards  ahead 
of  all  competitors.  For  the  quarter  mile  race  she  again 
entered,  but  was  ruled  out  by  the  other  Indians,  and 
their  objections  were  allowed,  it  being  decided  that  the 
victor  in  either  race  should  not  enter  for  another. 

The  second  contest  was  won  by  Nah-kah-yen,  but  not 
without  a  desperate  struggle  with  Manuelito,  a  very 
prominent  Navajo  chief.  The  third  and  fourth  prizes 
were  gained  by  Navajoes.  Manuelito  was  the  finest 
looking  Indian  man  I  ever  saw.  He  was  over  six  feet 
in  height,  and  of  the  most  symmetrical  figure,  combin 
ing  ease,  grace,  and  power  and  activity  in  a  wonderful 
degree.  He  was  a  great  dandy,  and  was  always  elabor 
ately  dressed  in  the  finest  Indian  costume.  His  leggings 
were  highly  ornamented,  and  his  buckskin  jacket  fitted 
without  a  wrinkle.  A  splendid  bunch  of  many  colored 
plumes,  surmounted  by  two  eagle's  feathers,  adorned 
his  head,  while  his  shapely  feet  were  incased  in  elegantly 
worked  moccasins.  Navajo  blankets  have  a  wide  and 
merited  reputation  for  beauty  and  excellence,  some  of 
them  being  worth  a  hundred  dollars  a  piece  in  the  New 
Mexican  market,  and  over  his  shoulders  was  one  of  su- 


306  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

perior  character,  worn  with  the  grace  and  dignity  with 
which  a  Roman  Senator  might  be  supposed  to  don  his 
toga.  So  vain  a  man  could  not  be  well  otherwise  than 
brave,  and  he  was  noted  for  his  gallantry.  But  he  was 
also  esteemed  one  of  the  wisest  counselors  in  his  tribe, 
and  had  headed  many  a  bloody  and  destructive  inroad 
until  compelled  to  yield  to  the  Californian  troops.  While 
on  the  Reservation  his  conduct  was  proud,  haughty  and 
decorous.  He  never  honored  any  of  us  with  his  pres 
ence  except  when  he  came  on  business,  but  never  exhib 
ited  any  animosity. 

Although  the  Navajoes  and  Apaches  are  identically 
one  people,  speaking  the  same  language  and  observing 
nearly  the  same  ceremonies,  yet  they  differ  materially  in 
many  respects,  undoubtedly  caused  by  a  marked  differ 
ence  of  climate.  The  country  of  the  Navajoes  is  cold 
and  inhospitable  in  winter — subject  to  deep  snows  and 
long  continued  frosts — while  that  roamed  over  by  the 
Apaches  is  far  milder,  and  in  many  portions  of  even  tor 
rid  heat.  This  compels  the  Navajoes  to  erect  substan 
tial  huts  of  an  oval  form,  the  lower  portion  of  the  hut 
being  excavated,  and  the  upper  composed  of  substantial 
stakes  brought  together  and  firmly  fastened  at  the  top. 
Long,  slender  and  supple  poles  are  then  hooped  closely 
about  the  stakes,  and  the  whole  thickly  covered  with 
mud.  These  huts  are  sometimes  quite  roomy,  many  of 
them  being  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  in  diameter.  The 
women  are  extremely  dexterous  in  weaving  a  very  su 
perior  kind  of  blanket,  the  colors  of  which  are  generally 
black  and  white;  but  sometimes  made  of  green,  blue, 
red,  pink,  purple,  white,  black,  etc.,  so  arranged  as  to 
produce  a  very  gaudy  and  striking  effect.  These  blankets 
are  perfectly  water-proof,  and  very  thick,  but  they  scarcely 
impart  as  much  warmth  as  one  of  first-class  California 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  307 

manufacture.  They  last  for  years,  retaining  their  beauty 
and  colors  without  loss  of  brilliancy.  This  manufacture 
of  blankets  arises  from  the  exigencies  of  the  climate,  and 
was  originally  learned  from  the  Mexicans  when  the  two 
people  lived  on  amicable  terms.  The  procurement  of 
wool  is  one  of  their  prime  necessities,  and  is  the  inciting 
cause  of  the  terrific  raids  they  make  into  New  Mexico, 
which  is  specially  a  sheep  raising  country.  When  large 
herds  of  cattle  are  met,  the  Navajoes  "gobble  them  up" 
with  avidity,  but  seldom  molest  them  when  few  in  num 
ber,  as  they  cannot  be  driven  with  the  rapidity  of  sheep ; 
leave  a  broader  and  more  marked  trail,  and  serve  only 
for  food.  These  Indians  live  together  in  considerable 
numbers  during  the  winter  months,  a  village  frequently 
containing  from  two  hundred  to  eight  hundred  inhabit 
ants.  Such  communities  must  necessarily  be  governed 
by  a  more  systematic  organization  than  obtains  among 
the  Apaches  proper;  hence  they  have  regular  chiefs  and 
sub-chiefs,  whose  orders  are  obeyed,  and  who  are  charged 
with  the  government  of  all  present;  but  his  office  is  not 
hereditary,  the  chieftainship  being  determined  by  elec 
tion.  The  fortunate  candidate  holds  office  for  life,  or 
during  good  behavior,  and  feels  no  little  pride  in  his  po 
sition.  In  all  matters  wherein  the  Navajoes  differ  from 
the  Apaches,  they  will  be  found  chargeable  to  the  climatic 
differences  of  their  several  countries.  Their  ceremonies, 
religious  views,  traditions,  language,  and  general  deport 
ment,  as  well  as  their  personal  appearance,  are  so  strik 
ingly  similar  as  to  be  almost  undistinguishable.  If  the 
Navajo  woman  is  more  industrious  and  skilled  than  the 
Apache,  she  is  also  muoh  more  loose  and  wanton.  A 
very  marked  characteristic  of  the  latter  people  is  their 
strict  chastity,  while  the  Navajoes  are  quite  as  much 
noted  for  their  utter  want  of  virtue. 


308  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

Prior  to  the  time  of  Mangas  Colorado,  several  disputes 
of  a  serious  character  had  occurred  between  these  two 
tribes,  but  that  shrewd  Indian  statesman  managed  to 
bestow  one  of  his  daughters  upon  the  most  noted  of  the 
Navajo  chiefs,  and  finally  succeeded  in  restoring  the 
strictest  amity,  which  continued  without  cessation  dur 
ing  his  long  life  devoted  to  his  people's  good,  and  until 
the  Navajoes,  angered  at  the  surrender  of  the  Apaches 
at  Fort  Sumner,  made  a  raid  upon  their  horses,  and 
were  driven  off  with  great  slaughter.  But  the  enmity 
engendered  by  such  conflicts  never  extended  to  parties 
outside  the  Reservation.  Fort  Bascom,  situated  on  a 
branch  of  the  Bed  river,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles  east-north-east  from  Fort  Sumner,  was  frequently 
visited  by  Comanche  Indians,  and  on  one  occasion  a 
large  band,  numbering  nearly  two  hundred,  informed 
the  commander  at  Bascom  that  they  intended  to  "  clean 
out"  the  Apaches  located  at  Sumner.  That  officer  re 
plied:  "Do  not  attempt  so  foolish  a  thing.  There  are 
three  companies  of  soldiers  at  that  place,  two  of  which 
are  cavalry,  and  so  sure  as  you  molest  the  Apaches  un 
der  their  charge  they  will  not  only  fight  you  themselves, 
but  will  arm  and  place  the  Apaches  in  the  field  against 
you.  Take  my  advice  and  let  them  alone."  Shortly  af 
terward,  while  out  with  a  small  party,  I  met  this  same 
band  of  Comanches,  when  the  chief  repeated  his  inten 
tion  to  me,  and  told  me  what  the  commander  of  Bascom 
had  said.  Divining  the  Indian's  drift,  I  immediately 
replied:  "You  tell  me  nothing  new.  We  have  all  heard 
this  before,  and  have  made  preparations  to  give  you  a 
welcome  commensurate  with  your  fame  as  a  warrior. 
My  commander  has  sent  me  out  with  these  twenty-five 
men  to  find  you  and  conduct  you  to  his  camp.  The  Co 
manches  and  Americans  are  friends.  He  does  not  wish 


LIFE   AMONG   THE  APACHES.  309 

to  molest  you,  nor  will  he  permit  you  to  molest  him,  or 
those  for  whose  safety  he  is  responsible;  but  if  this  thing 
must -come  off,  the  sooner  the  better.  Whenever  my 
Comanche  brother  wishes  to  move  toward  Fort  Sumner, 
I  am  ready  to  accompany  him."  "  I  have  no  time  now," 
was  the  reply,  "  but  will  come  this  way  again  after  three 
moons,  and  then  we  will  catch  the  Apaches,  but  we  will 
not  fight  the  Americans."  He  and  his  band  then  wheeled 
their  horses  and  rode  off  into  the  wilderness,  taking  an 
easterly  course.  We  never  heard  of  them  afterwards. 


CHAPTER    XXVII, 

Ignorance  of  Indian  Character  Discussed. — Political  Indian  Agencies. — How  the 
Indian  Affairs  Should  be  Managed. — Necessity  of  Force.  —  Absurd  System 
in  Vogue. — Crushing  Out  Advised. — How  the  Apache?  Should  be  Fought. — 
Proper  Method  of  Campaigning. — Suggestions. — Culpable  Neglect  of  Con 
gress. — General  Deductions. — Californian  Troops. — Conclusion. 

THE  romantic  wanderings  of  Catlin,  Schoolcraft  and 
some  others  among  the  Indian  tribes  of  North  America; 
the  delightful  tales  of  Cooper,  as  developed  in  his  "Trap 
per/'  "Last  of  the  Mohicans,"  etc. ;  the  stirring  adven 
tures  of  Captain  John  Smith,  Daniel  Boone,  Chamberlin, 
Carson,  Hays  and  a  host  of  noted  pioneers,  have  invested 
our  Indian  races  with  rare  and  absorbing  interest.  But 
they  have  also  tended  to  convey  false  and  erroneous  im 
pressions  of  Indian  character,  and  have  contributed  to 
misguide  our  legislation  on  this  subject  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  become  a  most  serious  public  burden. 

Since  the  foundation  of  our  Government,  Indian  wars 
have  cost  the  American  people  nearly  four  hundred 
millions  of  dollars,  and  the  stream  of  expenditure  con 
tinues  with  unabated  volume.  When  the  whites  were 
few  and  the  savages  many,  the  cost  of  keeping  them  in 
subjection  was  measurably  less  than  it  has  been  since  the 
reversal  of  our  respective  numerical  conditions.  Whence 
arises  this  anomaly?  Simply  because  of  our  strange  ig 
norance  of  Indian  character  as  it  really  exists,  and  not  as 
we  have  been  taught  to  understand  it  by  writers  of  attract 
ive  fiction,  or  the  chroniclers  of  heroic  deeds  and  romantic 
adventures.  This  sweeping  assertion  may  be  met  with 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  311 

one  more  plausible  and  popular,  because  more  suggestive, 
and  having  the  merit  of  being  sanctioned  by  time.  "Is 
it  possible,"  exclaims  the  old  school  debater,  "that  we 
have  been  for  more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half  fighting, 
treating,  and  dealing  with  our  Indian  tribes  without  ac 
quiring  a  positive  knoweldge  of  their  character  !"  Such 
an  exclamation  certainly  seems  to  be  staggering.  It  ap 
pears  to  possess  the  vital  force  of  reason  and  unanswera 
ble  argument;  nevertheless,  it  is  exactly  true  that,  as  a 
people,  we  know  little  or  nothing  about  this  very  impor 
tant  matter.  Unfortunately,  those  who  have  been  the 
best  able,  from  long  and  careful  personal  experience,  to 
give  the  requisite  information,  have  also  been,  for  the  most 
part,  deficient  in  educational  attainments  and  the  capac 
ity  to  impart  their  knowledge;  while  others  have  given 
no  evidence  of  entertaining  a  just  value  of  its  public 
importance.  Satisfied  with  their  own  acquirements, 
they  have  not  sought  to  publish  them  for  the  benefit  of 
others. 

The  white  races  of  the  American  people  boast  European 
origin,  mainly  that  of  English  lineage;  but  how  much 
did  the  British  really  know  of  Americans,  even  at  the 
period  of  our  Revolution  ?  Is  not  the  history  of  that 
struggle  indisputable  evidence  of  the  most  lamentable 
and  inexplicable  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  mother 
country?  But,  worse  still;  after  the  Revolution,  after 
we  had  been  in  strict  and  closest  commercial  and  polit 
ical  relations  with  Great  Britain  for  over  sixty  years, 
after  a  second  and  sanguinary  contest  with  that  country, 
we  have  only  to  read  the  works  of  some  of  their  travelers 
to  arrive  at  the  superficial  and  wonderfully  erroneous 
idea  of  American  character  possessed  by  intelligent 
Britons. 

When   the   two  leading  commercial   nations   of  the 


312  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

globe,  each  claiming  the  highest  civilization,  speaking 
identically  the  same  language,  and  governed  by  the  same 
general  laws,  contrive  to  pass  two  centuries  and  a  half 
of  close  intercourse  with  such  unsatisfactory  interknowl- 
edgable  results,  is  it  strange  that  a  like  ignorance  should 
exist  between  the  American  people  and  the  nomadic 
races  of  this  continent  ? 

Causes  similar  to  those  which  operated  as  a  bar  to 
English  knowledge  of  the  American  character  have  in 
terposed  against  our  acquisition  of  precise  information 
relative  to  the  leading  traits  of  Indian  nature.  Without 
being  captious,  it  is  assumed  that  British  tourists  have, 
for  the  most  part,  approached  us  with  something  of  an 
intolerant  and  pre-occupied  spirit.  They  came  pre 
pared  to  encounter  ill-bred,  semi-educated,  uncouth  and 
braggart  provincials,  rendered  more  unendurable  by 
their  democratic  form  of  government,  and  political  hos 
tility  to  the  time  honored  institutions  of  their  own  coun 
try.  Reference  can  as  emphatically  be  made  to  the 
course  pursued  by  the  British  in  India,  the  Spaniards  in 
Mexico  and  Peru,  the  French  in  Africa  and  Cochin 
China.  The  conquering  race  seldom  care  to  inform 
themselves  minutely  about  the  condition  and  character 
istics  of  the  conquered,  and  the  results  have  been  re 
newed  sanguinary  struggles  and  immensely  increased 
expenditures.  Our  own  dealings  with  the  nomads  of 
North  America  have  been  but  so  many  chapters  of  the 
same  record.  What  has  our  Government  ever  done,  in 
a  concerted,  intelligent  and  liberal  spirit,  to  acquire  a 
definite  knowledge  of  Indian  character,  as* it  exists 
among  the  tribes  which  wander  over  more  than  one-half 
the  public  domain  ? 

The  Indian  Bureau,  with  its  army  of  political  camp- 
followers,  bent  upon  improving  their  short  and  preca- 


LIFE   AMONG   THE    APACHES.  313 

rious  official  positions  to  "turn  an  honest  penny/'  can 
scarcely  be  quoted  as  evidence  of  our  search  for  the 
needed  information.  Tales  of  violence  and  wrong,  of 
outrage  and  devilish  malignity,  committed  by  Indians, 
are  rife  all  along  our  frontiers;  but  who  ever  hears 
the  other  side  ?  Who  chronicles  the  inciting  causes, 
the  long,  unbroken  series  of  injuries  perpetrated  by  the 
semi-civilized  white  savages  who,  like  Cain,  fled  from 
the  retributive  justice  of  outraged  humanity,  and  sought 
refuge  among  the  copper-colored  savages  of  the  woods 
and  the  plains?  Naturally  ferocious,  warlike,  revenge 
ful  and  treacherous  as  were  the  aborigines  of  America, 
we  have  educated  them  to  a  pitch  of  refinement  in 
cruelty,  deceit  and  villainy  far  beyond  their  normal 
standard.  If  the  white  man  has  come  to  be  regarded  as 
his  natural  enemy,  it  may  be  set  down  as  the  result  of 
long  and  murderous  schooling.  The  inherent  disposi 
tion  of  the  American  nomad  inclined  him  to  hospitality; 
but  that  inclination  has  been  completely  blotted  out, 
and  its  opposite  engrafted  on  his  nature.  Legends  and 
traditions  of  white  men's  ingratitude  have  been  handed 
down  through  so  many  generations,  and  the  experiences 
of  the  living  have  been  in  such  direct  accordance  with 
them,  that  they  have  become  prime  articles  of  their 
creed.  Keenly  alive  to  a  sense  of  the  inferiority  of  their 
armament,  incapable  of  subsisting  large  bodies  of  men 
for  any  considerable  period,  and  perpetually  engaged  in 
the  work  of  exterminating  each  other,  the  several  tribes 
have  been  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  employing  deceit 
against  force,  cunning  against  courage,  artifice  against 
honesty. 

One  of  the  most  serious  obstacles  in  the  way  of  a 
settled  and  satisfactory  arrangement  with  our  Indian 
tribes  results  from  our  own  form  of  government,  which 


314  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

requires  a  change  of  the  whole  working  department  of 
the  Indian  Bureau  whenever  a  change  of  administration 
takes  place.  Nor  can  this  evil  be  remedied  so  long  as 
the  Indian  Bureau  continues  to  be  a  political  machine. 
The  savages  cannot  comprehend  why  it  is  that  every 
few  years  imposes  upon  their  acceptance  new  and  un 
tried  Agents  to  regulate  matters  between  them  and  their 
"  Great  Father"  at  Washington,  nor  why  the  new  Agents 
should  institute  a  policy  different  from  that  of  their  pre 
decessors.  Time,  patience,  zeal,  great  experience  and 
conscientious  discharge  of  duty  are  indispensably  requi 
site  for  the  proper  and  just  management  of  our  Indian 
relations,  and  even  then  they  will  be  found  delicate  and 
difficult  under  peculiar  circumstances  which  are  con 
stantly  presenting  themselves.  The  first  great  object 
should  be  a  total  and  sweeping  reform  in  this  respect. 
The  Department  of  Indian  Affairs,  as  it  is  now  organ 
ized,  should  be  abolished  as  a  costly  and  unnecessary 
adjunct  to  a  Government  already  overburdened  with 
political  patronage.  We  have  a  large  number  of  meri 
torious  and  highly  educated  officers  of  the  army  on  the 
retired  list.  Many  of  them  have  acquired  considerable 
insight  into  Indian  character  during  the  course  of  their 
campaigns  in  our  Territories  and  on  our  frontiers.  They 
are  drawing  pay  from  the  Government  without  render 
ing  effective  service.  Their  own  high  sense  of  honor 
makes  many  of  them  feel  as  if  they  had  been  laid  upon 
the  shelf  as  being  no  longer  useful,  and  they  would  be 
but  too  happy  to  prove  that  their  capacity  to  serve  their 
country  in  this  line  is  quite  as  great  as  it  ever  was  in 
their  former  field  of  operations.  By  appointing  such 
men,  and  merging  the  In'dian  Bureau  into  the  War 
Department,  a  regular,  systematic  policy  would  be  pur 
sued,  upon  which  our  savage  tribes  could  place  reliance, 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  315 

and  which  would  ultimately  gain  their  confidence  and 
respect. 

Why  persist  in  maintaining  a  Department  not  only  un 
necessary,  but  which  has  always  imposed  enormous  ex 
penditures  upon  the  people,  and  has  frequently  plunged 
us  into  costly  Indian  wars  ?  What  can  a  political  camp- 
follower,  who  has  done  party  service  in  our  cities,  and 
been  appointed  Indian  Agent  as  reward  for  such  serv 
ices,  possibly  know  of  Indian  character?  And  being 
profoundly  ignorant  of  all  that  pertains  to  the  people 
whose  affairs  he  is  about  to  manage,  how  can  he  conduct 
them  with  any  degree  of  justice  toward  these  people  ?  It 
has  been  the  writer's  lot  to  be  present  at  many  meetings 
between  Indian  Agents  and  their  constituencies;  and  he 
has  always  been  shocked  at  the  insolent,  intolerant  and 
supercilious  manner  «of  the  Agents.  It  is  as  necessary 
to  use  common  intelligence  and  prudence  in  our  inter 
course  with  savages  as  in  the  performance  of  any  other 
act.  If  a  man  were  required  to  move  an  object,  his 
first  business  would  be  to  ascertain  the  weight  and  char 
acter  of  that  object,  with  a  view  to  applying  the  proper 
motive  power  in  a  rational  manner;  but  in  our  dealings 
with  Indian  tribes  this  common  sense  and  practical  style 
of  operation  is  completely  ignored.  We  have  not  even 
condescended  to  apply  the  rules  of  every  day  life  to  a 
subject  of  such  extensive  interest.  Is  the  savage  to  be 
blamed  because  he  becomes  provoked  at  such  intolerable 
folly?  Is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  he  should  lose  all 
confidence  in  people  who,  while  claiming  to  be  his  su 
periors,  display  such  despicable  disregard  of  decency 
and  good  faith?  And  when  he  does  evince  anger  and 
disgust,  after  his  fashion  —  the  only  one  he  compre 
hends  —  straightway  the  worthy  Agent  shouts  ' '  stop 
thief,"  to  conceal  his  own  avarice  and  rascality,  while 


316  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

he  precipitates  another  costly  conflict.  Until  this  per 
nicious  system  be  utterly  swept  away,  and  the  manage 
ment  of  Indian  affairs  confided  to  intelligent  and  edu 
cated  men  appointed  for  life,  or  during  good  behavior, 
from  the  ranks  of  our  meritorious  retired  officers,  we 
may  hope  in  vain  for  any  better  condition  of  our  rela 
tions  with  the  tribes. 

In  the  foregoing  pages  the  attentive  reader  will  have 
found  some  food  for  reflection.  He  will  have  perceived 
that  the  Apaches  are  not  fools  and  idiots.  He  will  have 
learned  that  they  reflect,  and  argue  with  a  great  deal  of 
logical  acumen.  He  will  have  understood  that  there  is 
much  about  them  which  can  be  studied  with  good  re 
sults/  He  will  have  comprehended  the  impossibility  of 
making  a  durable  treaty  with  a  tribe,  each  individual  of 
which  is  sovereign  in  his  own  right,  and  disavows  the 
authority  of  any  one  to  treat  for  him.  There  can  be  but 
one  policy  pursued  toward  these  Indians  with  any  chance 
of  satisfactory  result.  They  must  be  subdued  by  force 
of  arms,  and  after  submission,  they  must  be  removed 
from  their  country.  It  will  -cost  much  to  effect  these 
objects,  but  the  expense  will  be  a  mere  "drop  in  the 
bucket,"  compared  with  that  which  must  be  disbursed 
to  maintain  the  miserable  little  guerrilla  warfare  hereto 
fore  pursued,  and  which  has  only  imbued  them  with 
contempt  for  our  much  vaunted  power.  It  will  require 
a  force  of  seven  or  eight  thousand  men  to  effectually 
subdue  the  Apache  race  in  Arizona  and  New  Mexico; 
but  with  such  a  force,  properly  officered  and  appointed, 
the  work  can  be  done  in  less  than  one  year. 

Let  it  be  understood,  however,  that  the  troops  will  be 
required  for  constant,  active  and  arduous  service  in  the 
field,  and  not  to  build  forts,  which  are  abandoned  a  year 
or  so  after  construction;  nor  to  till  the  earth,  nor  culti- 


LIFE    AMONG   THE    APACHES.  317 

vate  fine  gardens,  nor  spend  their  time  in  dress  parades 
and  burnishing  weapons  which  are  never  used.  The 
men  selected  for  this  service  should  be  picked,  and  en 
tirely  reliable.  The  rations  of  coffee,  sugar,  tea,  and 
everything  but  hard  bread,  the  best  of  jerked  beef,  and 
tobacco,  should  be  stopped  while  on  duty  in  the  field, 
and  their  pay  should  be  increased  in  proportion.  All 
the  troops  employed  in  active  service  must  be  cavalry, 
and  their  accoutrements  should  be  simplified  to  the 
greatest  possible  extent.  A  trooper's  horse  should  not 
be  cumbered  with  a  useless  valise,  holsters,  and  a  ridicu 
lous  amount  of  harness  for  display.  The  soldier  should 
be  equipped  with  two  Colt's  belt  pistols,  a  first-class 
Spencer  carbine,  and  a  large  knife.  All  posts  should 
be  kept  and  guarded  by  the  infantry,  aided  by  a  small 
detachment  of  cavalry  to  act  as  herders,  and  at  each  post 
there  should  not  be  less  than  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
good  horses,  which  may  be  rendered  immediately  avail 
able  by  any  scouting  party  whose  animals  are  beginning 
to  tire.  At  each  post  the  Commissary  should  be  required 
to  keep  constantly  on  hand  and  baled  in  raw-hide  covers, 
packages  of  bread  and  meat  of  not  more  than  sixty 
pounds  in  each  bale,  and  enough  in  quantity  to  equal 
ten  days'  rations  for  fifty  men.  There  should  also  be  a 
sufficient  number  of  pack  mules  and  aparejos  to  pack 
this  amount  of  provision,  and  no  mule  should  be  laden 
with  more  than  two  packs.  With  these  precautions,  a 
pursuing  party  could  replenish  their  stores  and  receive 
fresh  horses  and  mules  without  the  unnecessary  and 
vexatious  delays  which  have  proved  so  fatal  to  success 
in  our  Indian  campaigns  in  the  Territories  named. 

Three  thousand  men,  divided  into  companies  of  fifty 
each,  would  place  sixty  such  companies  in  the  field  at 
one  time,  and  this  force  could  sweep  Arizona  from  end 


318  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

to  end  in  six  months.  Extreme  care  should  be  taken  to 
prevent  the  Apaches  from  escaping  into  Northern  Mex 
ico,  and  operations  should  commence  from  the  southern 
and  eastern  frontiers.  The  same  system  should  be  ap 
plied  to  New  Mexico  at  the  same  time,  commencing  at 
the  northern  and  western  frontiers.  The  men,  while  on 
scout,  should  take  only  one  pair  of  socks,  one  shirt  and 
one  pair  of  drawers  with  them,  in  addition  to  those  they 
wear.  All  blankets  and  other  baggage  should  be  con 
veyed  by  pack  mules  so  lightly  laden  that  they  may  be 
able  to  keep  up  with  the  horses.  In  winter  the  clothing 
should  consist  of  thick  buckskin  pants  and  jacket,  lined 
with  flannel,  and  in  summer  of  the  usual  cavalry  dress, 
but  without  trimmings,  except  the  chevrons  for  non 
commissioned  officers.  Marching  by  day  should  be 
avoided  as  much  as  possible,  unless  when  following  a 
trail.  No  fires  should  be  allowed  for  cooking  purposes; 
and  when  the  state  of  the  weather  required  them,  they 
should  be  concealed  as  much  as  the  ground  might  per 
mit.  The  rations  of  coffee  and  sugar  should  be  allowed 
in  winter.  The  course  of  operations  in  the  field  would 
suggest  itself  to  each  officer  in  command  of  a  company, 
and  he  should  be  allowed  discretionary  power. 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  although  these  suggestions 
require  some  space  for  their  explanation,  yet  they  pre 
sent  a  far  more  simple  system  than  any  ever  put  in  prac 
tice,  although  susceptible  of  very  great  modifications  and 
improvements,  which  must  be  suggested  by  the  circum 
stances  which  may  present  themselves  from  time  to  time. 
It  is,  however,  clear  that  a  great  change  must  be  made 
in  our  mode  of  dealing  with  the  Apache  race.  Twenty 
years  of  unceasing  warfare,  without  any  other  result 
than  the  loss  of  many  lives,  much  property,  the  expen 
diture  of  enormous  sums ;  the  devastation  of  a  large 


LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES.  319 

extent  of  country ;  the  unavailability  of  one  of  the 
richest  mineral  regions  in  the  "Union,  and  the  continu 
ance  of  the  perils  to  which  immigrants  are  exposed 
while  crossing  it,  should  have  sufficed  to  teach  us  that 
we  have  been  suffering  from  an  inadequate  system  of 
warfare.  It  is  time  that  something  more  rigorous  were 
tried.  Matters  can  scarcely  be  worse  than  they  have 
been  and  are. 

Forty  or  fifty  infantry  at  a  post,  which  has  its  Com 
missary  and  Quarter-Master's  establishments,  with  their 
various  belongings;  its  hospital  with  its  corps  of  nurses, 
cooks  and  attendants ;  its  Adjutant's  office  with  his 
clerks ;  the  Commander's  orderly,  the  company  clerk, 
and  other  modes  of  occupying  the  troops,  can  scarcely 
be  deemed  a  very  effective  force  in  an  Apache  country. 
Nevertheless,  such  is  the  style  of  warfare  which  has  been 
carried  on — occasionally  varied  by  a  small  squad  of  cav 
alry  making  a  scout  with  great  lumbering  army  wagons, 
marching  by  day,  and  following  the  highways.  Let  no 
one  imagine  that  these  remarks  are  in  any  way  intended 
to  reflect  on  the  officers  and  men  doing  duty  in  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico.  All  such  idea  is  emphatically  dis 
avowed.  They  do  the  very  best  that  can  be  done  under 
the  circumstances.  No  man  can  be  expected  to  fight 
advantageously  with  both  hands  tied  behind  him.  They 
can't  help  themselves;  but  are  placed  in  an  awkward  and 
embarrassing  position  from  which  there  seems  to  be  no 
escape. 

While  Congress  has  been  voting  millions  for  various 
improvements,  would  it  not  have  been  wise  to  appropri 
ate  a  small  amount  for  the  purification  of  two  immensely 
rich  and  extensive  Territories  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
country?  If  Alaska  be  worth  seven  millions,  Arizona 
and  New  Mexico  are  worth  one  hundred.  It  has  been 


320  LIFE   AMONG   THE   APACHES. 

suggested  by  one  high,  in  authority,  that  an  appropria 
tion  of  three  millions  to  assist  the  Sutro  Tunnel  project 
would  be  an  act  of  wisdom,  as  it  would  enormously  in 
crease  the  yield  of  the  Comstock  lode;  but  it  seems  never 
to  have  suggested  itself  to  the  minds  of  our  legislators, 
that  the  region  withheld  from  our  occupation  by  the 
Apache  race  contains  more  mineral  wealth  than  twenty 
Comstock  lodes.  We  are  floundering  under  a  great  na 
tional  debt,  and  financiers  are  puzzling  their  wits  to  de 
termine  how  it  shall  be  extinguished;  but  they  never 
dream  of  the  untold  wealth  buried  in  the  mountains 
which  form  the  stronghold  of  the  Apaches.  We  have 
behaved  with  the  most  Christian  spirit  of  forbearance 
toward  that  people.  Every  time  they  have  smitten  us 
on  one  cheek  we  have  turned  the  other  to  receive  an  ad 
ditional  slap,  which  they  were  by  no  means  loth  to  be 
stow.  Is  it  not  almost  time  to  put  our  "  Quaker"  one 
side  and  perform  what  we  have  so  long  threatened?  Is 
our  Government  aware  that  the  people  of  those  Terri 
tories  could  present  a  bill  for  over  fifty  millions  of  dollars 
for  damages  suffered  at  the  hands  of  those  Indians  dur 
ing  the  past  twenty  years  ? 

It  matters  not  by  what  process  or  method  of  schooling 
the  Apache  has  become  the  most  treacherous,  blood 
thirsty,  villainous  and  unmitigated  rascal  upon  earth; 
it  is  quite  sufficient  that  he  is  so,  and  that  he  is  incapa 
ble  of  improvement.  Kindness  and  generosity  provoke 
his  contempt,  and  he  regards  them  as  weaknesses.  Chas 
tisement  does  not  procure  his  vengeance  with  any  more 
certainty  than  want  of  caution.  The  man  who  deems  it 
the  highest  achievement  to  become  a  dexterous  robber  is 
scarcely  an  object  in  whom  to  repose  confidence.  What 
ever  regard  they  exhibited  toward  myself  was  more  in 
duced  by  the  conviction  that  I  was  serviceable  to  them, 


LIFE   AMONG    THE   APACHES.  321 

wliile  their  respect  was  enforced  through  their  dread  of 
my  troopers.  Nevertheless,  when  I  was  ordered  home 
from  Fort  Sumner,  they  all  mounted  their  horses  and 
rode  with  us  for  two  hours,  and  appeared  quite  sorry  at 
our  departure.  This  would  seem  to  express  some  sense 
of  gratitude,  and  so  I  imagined  it,  until  subsequent  in 
telligence  disclosed  the  fact  that  they  were  never  more 
elated. 

From  the  time  of  their  last  conflict  with  the  Navajoes, 
in  which  ninety  of  the  latter  were  slain  outright,  within 
fifteen  miles  of  the  Eeservation,  where  their  dead  bodies 
were  seen  by  the  other  Navajoes  under  our  charge,  the 
two  people  had  never  lived  comfortably  together.  Their 
camps  were  located  four  miles  apart,  but  little  feuds  and 
disputes  were  constantly  arising  whfch  occupied  much  of 
my  time  to  arrange.  At  length  the  matter  became  un 
bearable  to  the  Apaches,  who  were  outnumbered  nine  to 
one,  and  they  applied  to  Gen.  Carleton  to  be  placed  on 
a  separate  Reservation.  This  was  refused,  and  they  re 
solved  to  leave  by  the  first  good  opportunity.  The  only 
bar  to  this  was  the  presence  of  my  company,  of  which 
they  entertained  a  most  salutary  dread,  although  con 
stantly  receiving  little  presents  and  kind  treatment  from 
all  the  men.  The  Apaches  had  frequently  witnessed 
their  target  practice  with  carbine  and  pistol,  in  both  of 
which  arms  they  had  acquired  wonderful  perfection,  and 
they  were  also  struck  with  the  easy  and  bold  riding  of 
my  troopers.  Gian-nah-tah,  being  angry  one  day,  told 
Capt.  Updegraff,  who  had  denied  them  a  favor  he  had 
no  right  to  grant — "You  think  we  care  for  you  and  your 
men;  not  a  bit  of  it,  we  are  only  restrained  by  those  Cal- 
ifornians."  When  they  saw  those  Californians  depart, 
they  were  actually  delighted,  and  in  less  than  two 
months  afterward,  the  great  body  of  them  decamped  to 
parts  unknown. 


322  LIFE   AMONG    THE    APACHES. 

As  an  example  of  the  precision  to  which  my  men  had 
arrived  in  the  use  of  their  fire-arms,  the  following  inci 
dent  will  suffice.  While  passing  the  "Caves"  on  the 
road  to  the  San  Bernardino  river,  whither  we  had  been 
to  settle  a  little  difficulty  with  the  Piutes,  we  were  passed 
by  a  fine  antelope  buck,  about  one  hundred  yards  dis 
tant,  and  going  at  speed.  There  were  fourteen  men  in 
single  file  behind  me,  and  I  cried  out,  "Fire  at  that  an 
telope."  At  the  word  each  man  checked  his  horse, 
raised  his  carbine  and  fired.  The  animal  fell,  and  upon 
examination,  it  was  found  that  every  ball  had  struck 
him. 

The  information  wrhich  I  received  from  Mr.  Labadie 
relative  to  the  Apache  hegira  from  Fort  Sumner,  only 
added  to  my  former  conviction  that  they  are  incapable  of 
any  enduring  sense  of  gratitude.  Their  intense  selfish 
ness  precludes  any  hope  from  that  quarter,  while  the 
long.and  close  experience  I  had  with  them,  established 
the  conviction  in  my  mind  that  their  intensified  procliv 
ity  to  commit  outrage  can  only  be  suppressed  by  force  of 
arms,  in  a  vigorous  and  not  too  merciful  campaign,  pros 
ecuted  with  an  overwhelming  force,  and  brought  to  a 
sudden  and  decisive  end  by  occupying  many  portions  of 
their  country  at  the  same  time,  and  keeping  the  forces 
in  the  field  until  the  object  be  accomplished. 

In  the  foregoing  work  only  such  personal  adventures 
have  been  recited  as  served  to  exemplify  some  trait  of 
Indian  character;  and  if  any  of  my  readers  have  received 
either  pleasure  or  profit  from  its  perusal,  or  if  these  ex 
periences  should  serve  in  any  way  to  modify  or  better 
our  Indian  policy,  the  author  will  not  have  written  in 
vain. 

FINIS. 


V 


